Despite recent snowfall in the high country in Archuleta
County, there have been no calls for Upper San Juan Search and Rescue
team members to locate and evacuate hunters participating in the
first combined big game rifle hunting season.

Only one event has marred the hunt so far this year - the Oct.
20 death of an Oklahoma hunter.

According to Archuleta County Coroner Carl Macht, Cecil Hogue,
73, of Oklahoma City, died Oct. 20 as a result of a heart attack.

Macht reported Hogue and two hunting companions were camped at
Kenney Flats, southeast of Pagosa Springs. The men, said Macht, had
come to Archuleta County on hunting trips for the last 20 years.

Hogue reportedly complained of leg pain and he and his
companions assumed the situation was caused by the change in altitude
they experienced after arriving in Colorado.

When Hogue's discomfort grew, said Macht, his companions put
him in the back of a truck and started to town. When they looked to
the back of the truck, said the coroner, the men saw Hogue slump and
initially believed Hogue had gone to sleep. The trip to town took
approximately 10 minutes. By the time the men arrived at a
convenience store at the east end of Pagosa Springs, and realized
something serious had happened to Hogue, they were unable to help the
victim since neither man knew CPR.

Macht said an unidentified clerk at the convenience store
called 9-1-1 then began CPR on the victim. Pagosa Springs police
officer Tony Kop arrived shortly thereafter and continued the CPR
until Macht and additional Emergency Medical Services personnel made
it to the scene.

"Basically," said Macht, "nearly 20 minutes had elapsed from
the time Mr. Hogue had his heart attack and the time CPR was
administered." Macht declared Hogue dead at the scene.

Macht said EMS personnel tended other hunters suffering
apparent signs of heart problems Oct. 21 and 23, and were able to get
the men to Mercy Medical Center at Durango, where they were
successfully treated.

"These situations provide good examples of the need to
recognize early signs of heart problems and to notify emergency
responders as quickly as possible," said Macht.

"In at least 20 percent of heart attacks, there are no major
symptoms," he said. "You should be aware of what seem to be minor
complaints and respond to them: a general feeling of being run down,
being listless without the strength to undertake normal activities.
These can be associated with altitude problems, with the heart not
getting enough oxygen. And, of course, any time major symptoms are
present, you need to get emergency assistance immediately. Those
symptoms include crushing chest pain, persistent nausea and vomiting,
and pain radiating to the jaw, shoulders and arms," Macht said.

Wolf Creek Ski Area will open
Saturday

By Karl Isberg

With 28 inches of natural snow at the summit, 23 inches of
coverage midway, and four inches of snow in a 24-hour period Oct. 24
to 25, Wolf Creek Ski Area will open the 2000-01 ski season Saturday
morning.

When skiers hit the slopes at Wolf Creek Saturday, the area
will have four lifts in operation: Nova, Dickey, Bonanza and
Treasure. All major trails served by the lifts will be ready for the
skiers.

The Oct. 28 opening is a pleasant change of pace from the
1999-2000 season, when unusually dry fall winter delayed Wolf Creek's
opening to Dec. 2 and limited skiers to the Nova lift and the Nova
run.

Lifts will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Saturday,
with regular lift ticket prices in effect. The main Wolf Creek Lodge
will be open, serving a limited menu. The main lodge's Pathfinder
Bar, the ski area's rental and sports shops, and ski school will be
open for business Saturday morning.

Use tax bid drawing flak on two
fronts

By John M. Motter

An apparent mistake in specifying the effective date for a 4
percent use tax proposed by the county on the Nov. 7 ballot will not
affect the legality of the matter, according to Mary Weiss, the
county attorney. Neither will issues concerning proper public
notice.

If voters approve the county's Ballot Issue 1A, collection of
the use tax will begin Jan. 1, 2001, according to Weiss.

The proposed use tax is identified as Archuleta County Ballot
Issue 1A on the Nov. 7 ballot. In part, the ballot question asks "and
shall such use tax commence January 1, 2000." An ordinance approved
by the county commissioners placing the question on the ballot reads
"The Use Tax provided herein shall commence January 1, 2000, and
continue until repealed."

No matter what the ballot seems to say, the overall wording of
the ordinance makes it clear that the intent is to begin collection
of the use tax Jan. 1, 2001, according to Weiss.

"The January 1, 2000, date is probably an oversight," Weiss
said. "I don't think it invalidates the intent of the ballot
question. The text of the ordinance and ballot question make obvious
what the intent is."

A second question reflecting on Ballot Issue 1A swirls around
public notice requirements.

"The statutes say a public notice must be published four times,
but they don't say four times before the election," Weiss said.

After looking at her statute book, County Clerk June Madrid
pointed out, "It says publish the public notice four times, but it
doesn't say four times before the election. I couldn't have had it
published sooner because I did not receive the wording from the
commissioners soon enough to publish the notice four times before the
election." As county clerk, Madrid serves as the county's election
official.

The first public notice is printed in this week's issue of the
SUN.

People opposed to the proposed use tax say publishing a public
notice doesn't make much sense unless the notice is published four
times before the election. Who will it benefit, they say, to publish
the notice after the election?

Who is to blame for the confusion? The blame appears to belong
to whoever is not present while the issue is being discussed.
Apparently a draft of the proposal was prepared by attorneys for the
town, then faxed to Weiss.

"We filled in the blanks, added some language," Weiss said. "I
don't remember if the blanks were filled in when the commissioners
approved the ordinance. I didn't see it after the commissioners
approved the ordinance. I don't know who proofread what was printed
on the ballot."

Madrid said she only received the ballot question, not the
ordinance. "We sent it over there (to the commissioners) for
proofreading. Somebody read it and sent it back."

County Manager Dennis Hunt has been out of town through most of
the process and was unavailable for comment this week.

Commissioner Gene Crabtree, chairman of the board of county
commissioners, points his finger in the other direction.

"Dennis wrote the wording," Crabtree said. "He put it together
with Bill (Downey). I wasn't in on it much. Mary said it was okay. I
voted for it in order to give the people the chance to vote on it. I
don't know who proofread it. I assume it was Dennis and Mary.

"Personally, I think it was done a little fast," Crabtree said.
"There are two sides. They say there won't be much paperwork. A lady
showed me a briefcase full of receipts that would be required. They
say where it is in effect in Durango, they're receiving few protests.
I don't know."

County 1A asks voter approval of a county-wide, 4 percent use
tax on building materials. The 4 percent is not double taxation. If a
tax is paid on the materials somewhere else, it will not be collected
by the county. A 4 percent sales tax is levied on building materials
purchased in Archuleta County.

The 4 percent use tax is aimed at materials purchased outside
of the county and then used within the county. A preliminary plan
calls for collection of the use tax by the county before a
certificate of occupancy is issued allowing use of the building. The
materials cost will be assumed to be 52 percent of the total
estimated cost of the building. The 4 percent will be levied against
the 52 percent estimated materials cost. Only materials required to
obtain a certificate of occupancy will be taxed. Builders who present
proof that they paid a tax on the materials at another time or place
will not be taxed above the 4 percent total.

Because the county fears that a builder may present a low
estimate when obtaining a certificate of occupancy, the proposal
allows the county to value the building at the same value placed by
the county assessor when the building is added to the assessment
rolls. The builder will be required to pay any difference between the
estimated value and the value placed by the assessor.

Because the builder may sell the building before it is assessed
by the assessor, the owner will be required to sign a statement
agreeing to pay the difference between the estimated value and the
assessed value in the event the builder is no longer in the
county.

Some builders oppose the proposed use tax. The Archuleta County
Builders Association has not taken an official stance for or against
the proposal.

One of the protesters is Susan Wanket. The Wanket family is in
the building business.

"I question why the county commissioners obtained input from
the four local lumber yards, but not from the builders," Wanket said.
"Had they done so, they might have a con statement to match the pro
statement sent out by the county clerk.

"There is a lot of misinformation on the ballot," Wanket
continued. "The illegal date to commence is gross negligence by the
county commissioners and the county attorney. It will call into
question the validity of this issue if it passes."

Wanket said, "I question why the error was made, but believe
the whole thing was done in too much of a hurry. Had there been time
for thorough review and discussion I believe the $300,000 (estimated
first year county revenue) would have been shown to be incorrect. I
believe that is three times what can be shown from past records at
the building permit office. I believe administration costs would eat
up most, if not all, of the revenue. Is this a fair trade for the
paper work contractors and subcontractors will have to do and for the
added layer of bueauacracy?"

"I represent a small business where I have to do all of the
bookkeeping," Wanket said. "I will have to hire somebody to help with
this incredible increase in paperwork. The increased overhead will be
passed on to the buyer increasing housing costs."

"I am also concerned," Wanket said, "that the collection
details have not been worked out. It's hard to vote for something
that might change."

The commissioners have left rules concerning collections
flexible so that adjustments might be made as the county learns more
about the process, according to Town Administrator Jay
Harrington.

Revenue from the use tax will be divided between the town and
county. The county will keep revenues collected for building in the
county and the town will retain revenues collected for building in
town.

Proponents of the proposal argue that it is a just tax meeting
"user-pay" tests in that those moving into the community and creating
demands for additional government services pay a use tax helping
defer the additional costs created by meeting the new demands.

Sample ballots, polling places
inside for Archuleta, Hinsdale

Sample ballots for the Nov. 7 general election in both
Archuleta and Hinsdale counties can be found in today's issue of the
SUN.

The ballots are exactly the same as those you will find in the
polling place for all individual races and special questions, both
local and statewide.

Polls in each county will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For Hinsdale County residents living on this side of the
mountains in the Upper Piedra region, the lone polling place will be
the Robert and Peggy Case home at 758 Taylor Lane.

Precinct 9 - Archuleta County Clerk's Office in the county
courthouse (absentee and early balloting).

In Archuleta County, absentee ballots and early ballots may be
requested in person in the county clerk's office through the morning
of Nov. 3. Ballots for all applicants accepted will be mailed out by
4 p.m. that day and must be returned to the clerk's office by the
time polls close Nov. 7. Early ballots must be filled out and placed
in the ballot box in the clerk's office.

The sample ballots for Archuleta County will be found in
Section 3, pages 4 and 5. Those for Hinsdale County are in Section 3,
page 6.

Community Plan draft gets final
review

Public hearing will be required
before approval

By John M. Motter

A draft version of the Archuleta County Community Plan was
reviewed last night at a meeting including the Archuleta County
commissioners and members of the Upper San Juan Regional Planning
Commission.

Prepared by the Four Corners Planning Group and guided by the
county planning department and a steering committee appointed by the
county commissioners, the plan is the result of more than a year of
data compilation plus citizen input gathered at public meetings
conducted in several designated areas in the county.

A community plan is an official public document designed to
guide the future development of a community in order to create and
maintain a desirable environment and to promote the public health,
safety and welfare. The plan is intended for use by public officials,
citizens and developers.

The Archuleta County Community Plan addresses the relationships
between the physical layout of the community, public facilities, the
provision of government services, and preservation of community
character. If properly done, it establishes a framework for managing
new growth while preserving a quality of life and enhancing a healthy
economy.

This particular plan is the result of pressure placed on the
county commissioners to develop mechanisms for guiding growth in the
community. A first step was conducting meetings in several
geographical areas in the county with the object of learning what
people in each of those areas want to see happen in their areas.

After evaluating what people want, a series of growth scenarios
were designed with the objective of reaching those goals. A second
round of meetings was conducted throughout the county, this time to
gather public input concerning the growth scenarios designed to
identify public response to each scenario and choose the most
effective response.

Finally, the draft community plan was written. This plan is
being reviewed by the county's planning staff, the planning
commission, and the county commissioners. When it is placed in a form
acceptable to the county commissioners and they adopt it, the
community plan becomes the foundation document for guiding county
actions related to growth management.

A public hearing will be conducted before the commissioners
vote for or against adoption of this draft plan.

Questions asked in the beginning were:

- What do you like about Archuleta County and what would you
like to retain?

- What do you dislike about Archuleta County and what would you
like to change?

- What is the appropriate balance between catering to tourists
and making room for newcomers and maintaining the quality of life and
culture that have been part of the area's heritage for the past
century?

Eight workshops were held during a two-week period in February.
The meetings were held at Chromo for the southeastern part of the
county; two meetings at the county fairgrounds, one for the
northeastern part of the county and one for the eastern part of the
county; Chimney Rock for the northwestern part of the county; Arboles
for the southwestern part of the county; a meeting for the Fairfield
Pagosa subdivisions west of town; a meeting for Pagosa Springs; and a
meeting at the high school for juniors and seniors.

Based on input gathered at the first round of meetings, a
vision statement was drafted. The vision statement says: "Archuleta
County should retain its outstanding scenic and natural qualities
while providing quality employment, housing, education, and
recreation to its residents. Tourism, recreation, and agriculture
will remain major segments of the economy, but attempts will be made
to diversify and encourage other types of economic development. The
majority of youth should be able to have a career and eventually
raise a family without being forced to leave. A healthy and vibrant
community will continue to evolve and the rural character and small
town atmosphere will be preserved."

A second set of public meetings conducted during May presented
a series of growth scenarios. The draft community plan was presented
at a third series of public workshops conducted during September.

After careful analysis of citizen input at the second round of
public workshops and review of about 125 written responses, a
preferred growth scenario was developed. The preferred scenario is a
blend of elements from the three alternative growth scenarios
focusing on emphasis of either open space vistas, a Pagosa hub, or a
Pagosa hub with the development of outlying villages.

Under the preferred growth scenario, policies and actions are
adopted to preserve scenic vistas, wildlife habitat, other open space
and the rural and small town atmosphere through a combination of
incentives and requirements governing the development of private
land, and an aggressive effort is mounted to acquire open space or
conservation easements.

Economic opportunities are enhanced by diversifying the economy
consistent with maintaining a high quality of life. While most
residential and commercial development is located in Pagosa Springs
and the adjacent subdivisions west of town, village centers at
Arboles, Aspen Springs, and Chromo could provide residents of
outlying areas with small, nearby shopping and service centers and
additional housing choices.

The preferred growth scenario contains the following specific
elements:

- Major river corridors, some of which could be included as
wildlife habitat, along the Blanco, Navajo, Piedra and San Juan
rivers

- General areas that could serve as industrial parks

- General areas that could serve as village centers

Adoption of incentives and requirements governing development
of private land for, but not necessarily limited to, the
following:

- Development within scenic corridors and on ridge tops to
ensure that the rural, scenic character and mountain vistas will be
preserved

- Development within critical wildlife habitat areas and
migration routes to mitigate disruption of wildlife and preserve a
healthy ecosystem

- Preservation of environmental quality, including water and
energy conservation, control of gravel pits and weeds

- Quality of the built environment, including lighting, signs,
building design and landscaping, and noise to preserve and enhance
the quality of life

- Clustering of commercial and residential development to
preserve open space and minimize commercial strip development, urban
sprawl, and rural sprawl. In rural areas, 35-acre lot size is the
base density, but strong incentives exist to encourage clustering,
such as increasing the base density based on specific criteria. In
critical wildlife areas and scenic corridors, special standards apply
which could include clustering or lots larger than 35 acres

- Separation of incompatible land uses

- Provision of affordable housing

- Adoption of local government polices that encourage purchase
of open space and conservation easements, or voluntary dedication of
conservation easements/development rights; continuing of farming and
ranching operations; preservation of historic buildings and
districts; expanding economic opportunities by attracting clean light
industry; efficient use of water resources, including central water
and sewer systems; effective waste management and recycling;
efficient delivery of public safety services; provision of parks,
trails, and recreation facilities; efficient, safe road networks, and
a modest, well-run public transit system.

Inside The Sun

Delinquent taxes in county top
$383, 000

By John M. Motter

This year's delinquent property tax list
contains 868 land parcels taxed at $383,208, not a significant change
from last year, according to Archuleta County Treasurer Traves
Garrett.

Contained on the year 2000 delinquent tax
list are properties on which their 1999 taxes have not been
paid.

The 1999 delinquent tax list contained
853 parcels taxed for $283,882. Since publication of the 1999 list,
511 of the 853 parcels listed have been redeemed, enriching Archuleta
County coffers by $253,811.

Also identified on the year 2000
delinquent tax list are 51 personal property accounts, one sand and
gravel company, and 116 mobile homes. Taxes due on the personal
property amount to $22,029.

Due on the mobile homes is $16,526.
Mobile homes are taxed separately if they are not attached to the
property on which they sit. If mobile homes are permanently attached
to the land, they are taxed as real estate with the land.

If everyone who owes the county money for
unpaid property taxes - including taxes, penalties, and interest -
paid their delinquent taxes the county would be $496,164
richer.

Nov. 10 has been set as a temporary
cutoff date for paying property taxes. The cutoff allows the county
time to prepare a list for the tax sale auction scheduled for Nov. 13
in the county commissioners meeting room in the county
courthouse.

Garrett will conduct the auction. Only
those persons who have previously registered as a buyer are allowed
to bid at the auction, even though the auction is public.

"A lot of people misunderstand what is
happening at the auction," Garrett said. "The bidders are not buying
the property. They are just paying the taxes. In exchange, they get a
tax lien certificate. If the taxes due on the property are not
redeemed by the owner by the end of three years, the person owning
the tax lien certificate can apply for a treasurer's deed in order to
establish title to the property."

Any property owner who wishes to reclaim
property on which delinquent taxes are due must do so within three
years. In addition, all back taxes must be paid plus 15 percent
interest plus all other costs, such as publishing fees.

A person who pays the delinquent tax and
holds a tax lien certificate is entitled to receive the amount of
back taxes due plus 15 percent interest if the owner reclaims the
property during the three-year period.

Property tax notices are mailed from mid-
to late January. Taxes may be paid in one or two installments. If a
one installment payment plan is chosen, taxes not paid by May 1 are
delinquent. If a two-installment payment plan is chosen, taxes are
delinquent if not paid by June 16.

Forecast? Just more of the
same

By John M. Motter

More clouds, rain, and snow at higher
elevations are forecast for Pagosa Country through the coming week,
according to Dave Nadler, a weather forecaster with the Grand
Junction National Weather Service office.

"We're under a very active weather
pattern," Nadler said. "The storm that was here the last two or three
days is moving east and Thursday, today, should be cloudy but without
rain. Another system will move in Friday with more clouds, rain at
lower elevations, and snow at higher elevations."

Friday's storm will last for about 24
hours, move out allowing a short period of calm, and then be
succeeded by another storm, according to Nadler.

Controlling the current weather pattern
are a series of storms generated in the Aleutian Islands, dropping
down the West Coast, and carried inland by the upper level tropical
jet stream. That jet stream will direct tomorrow's storm more across
Arizona and New Mexico than across Colorado, according to Nadler.
Later, the tropical jet stream should drift north, directing the next
storm across Colorado, Nadler said.

Any drought conditions lingering in
Pagosa Country were doused with 1.23 inches of precipitation this
past week, according to a rain gauge at the National Weather Service
Station located at Stevens Field. October precipitation has reached
2.38 inches, well above the longtime October average of 2.03
inches.

No measurable snow has fallen in town
this fall. When the heavy cloud cover this past week parted long
enough to provide a glimpse of the surrounding mountains, however, it
was obvious that the time will soon arrive when the snow line
descends to the town's 7,000-foot elevation. About four inches of new
snow were measured during the last 24 hours at Wolf Creek Ski Area.
On Wednesday morning, the ski area had 28 inches of snow at the
11,000-foot summit, 23 inches midway.

High temperatures this past week ranged
from 45 degrees on Tuesday up to 63 degrees Oct. 18. The average high
temperature was 57 degrees. Low temperatures ranged from 29 degrees
Monday up to 33 degrees Tuesday. The average low temperature was 30
degrees.

Letters

October 26, 2000

Consequences of Amendment 21

Dear David,

Much has been written and said about the consequences of
passing Amendment 21, also known as TABOR 205, which is on our Nov. 7
ballot. We have read articles, letters, fliers, and posters, and
watched TV ads and heard discussions. The very best presentation for
how Amendment 21's passage would affect us here in Archuleta County
is John Motter's article, "County group sends SOS for foes to tax
cut" (SUN, Sept. 14, pg. 7, Sect. 2). We strongly urge you to publish
it again, both this week and next; and please don't bury it in
Section 2.

We think passage of Amendment 21 would be a disaster for the
citizens of Archuleta County and the rest of Colorado. No one is
smart enough to accurately predict the details of the chaos that will
befall our tax-funded services if Amendment 21 becomes a part of our
Colorado constitution. But chaos it will be, for certain.

We get two property tax notices. Based on the current notice
(for 1999 taxes), in the year 2002 we would receive cuts of $153.45
on the eight entities listed on the larger notice, wiping out three
of the eight. The cuts on the other notice would total $94.78 and six
of the eight would be wiped out. Those entities wiped out by our
up-to-$25 cut the first year would not show up on our notices the
next year. The second year an additional two get wiped out on the
larger notice, and all but the school district gets wiped out on the
other.

After only two years we would be paying taxes only to the
school district, the county and the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation
District.

All of those eight entities listed on our tax notices exist
because we and our predecessor citizens created them. None were
created unanimously, but a majority was necessary in each case. We
are set up to fund them principally by (property) taxes. We don't
have alternative sources of funds in place. The proponents of
Amendment 21 don't seem concerned about that, but if their houses
catch fire or if they or their loved ones need emergency medical
care, you can bet that they would be quick to complain if they didn't
get help.

We are reminded of the fable about the occupants of a cabin who
froze to death while each clutched his piece of wood rather than
contribute it to building a fire.

Sincerely yours,

Earle and Betty Beasley

Write in vote

Dear Editor,

You still have the opportunity to vote for your choice of
candidate for county commissioner.

If you are not satisfied with the names that appear on your
ballot for each district, you are allowed to write in the name of
your choice.

To do so: in the designated box above the printed candidates
name, make another circle, fill it in pencil and write in the name of
the person you'd like to represent you for the next four years.

Example: ( ) Your write-in choice

( ) The candidate as printed

Your write-in vote will not void your ballot.

For more information call Dick Akin 731-3315.

Sincerely,

Dick Akin

Editor's note: The "Voter Instructions" issued at the county
clerk's office advises: "To cast a write-in vote, write the
candidate's name in the space provided under the appropriate office,
and fill in the oval."

Shoot to scare

Dear Editor,

The best way to be a good neighbor in Unit 6 of Aspen Springs
is to keep your dogs quiet and on your own land. Great Danes that
have a bark like a lion and wake neighbors up with one loud bark do
not belong here.

Dogs that roam do tremendous damage to livestock and wildlife
and they should be shot. You are in Colorado now and wandering dogs
are shot and that is a good thing overall. People who move out to the
country don't want neighbors. Welcome to Colorado.

I have been shooting at dogs for years, but I shoot to scare
not kill. I would rather have wildlife running free than domestic
dogs.

Ron Alexander

Younger voters

Dear David,

There are 2,529 new voters in Archuleta County. Perhaps a
review of local turnout for 1992 and 1996 should be recalled.
Firstly, the number of registered voters since 1996 has increased by
50 percent. There are now 7,716 registered voters.

In 1992, there were 3,649 registered voters; there was a 78
percent turnout. The totals for the three presidential candidates
were: Bush/Quale,1,242; Clinton/Gore, 815; Perot/Stockdale, 740.
(About 100 people did not vote for president.)

In 1996, there were 5,187 registered voters. There was a 68
percent turnout. Totals for the three presidential candidates were:
Dole/Kemp,1,963; Clinton/Gore, 997; Perot/Choate, 360. (About 200
people did not vote for president.)

Two likely conclusions - 1) Archuleta County voters vote well
over 50 percent Republican. 2) Serious third party contenders
increase the number of Archuleta voters by about 10 percent.

In 2000, there are 7,716 registered voters. If there is a 65
percent turnout, about 5,000 people will vote for president.
(Sixty-five percent is higher than the national average of about 49
percent.)

If no one considers Nader, Buchanan or Harry Browne serious
contenders, it's statistically, likely that Bush/Cheney will do
better, perhaps 3,500 votes.

Thus it's almost a certainty that Bush/Cheney will win
Archuleta County.

But very little will probably change, since Bush and Gore
represent mostly special interests and the near status quo. Bush
wants smaller government and gun rights, etc., Gore wants bigger
government and women's rights, etc. Both men continually talk about
the problems of the elderly people, demonstrating clearly that
younger people are generally ignored. And perhaps rightfully, since
young people don't often vote, even though 18-year-olds have had that
right since 1972.

And so, how about the younger voters of Archuleta County
getting just a little serious for one day and voting for a
presidential candidate that represents what they want, and not just a
vote "against" Bush or Gore. Ralph Nader, the well-known "public
interest pioneer" and candidate of the Green Party is the most
serious of the third parties. He promises to combat corporate abuses,
is against anti-democratic global trade arrangements and wants more
environmental protection. Pat Buchanan, the well-known TV
commentator, talks about America first and closing our borders; Harry
Browne, of the Libertarian party is convinced that we need a minimum
of government; and Howard Phillips is a strict Constitutionalist. And
there are four more presidential candidates: John Hagelin, Natural
Law Party; Earl Dodge, Prohibition Party; James Harris, Socialist
Workers; and David McReynolds, Socialist Party.

I urge all 7,716 fellow Archuletans with this precious right to
vote - to vote for the kind of leader that you prefer. Bush/Cheney
will probably win anyway, but with a big third party turnout, the
debates of 2004 just might include a more balanced discussion about
the real condition of our USA. Please vote your conscience. Just do
it.

C.E. Cazedessus

Take friend to vote

Dear David,

Take a friend to vote.

In 1998, only 36.4 percent of voters across this great nation
went to the polls to cast their ballots. That's the lowest turnout
since 1942. Two out of three Americans, 115 million eligible voters,
simply stayed home and didn't vote at all.

The League of Women Voters of Archuleta County urges area
residents to double the vote this year by joining in the Take a
Friend to Vote Campaign. Reach out to your friends, family,
neighbors, and co-workers; encourage them to vote with you on Nov. 7,
then send them a reminder post card to join you during early voting
or on election day. Pick up your Take a Friend to Vote post cards at
the Ruby Sisson Library or the chamber of commerce.

Double the vote; take a friend to vote.

Sincerely,

Windsor Chacey

Voter Service Chair

Indoor arena

Dear Editor,

OK. Am I the only horse enthusiast in this town who dreads the
first rain?

Every year about this time I make my weekly pilgramages to
Ignacio's indoor arena, Durango's pavilion, Farmington's indoor
arenas or Cortez.

I love to ride, and keep my horses in shape. Just because it's
winter I have to give cash to other counties for the use of their
facilities. As do other barrel racers, ropers, and team penners I
know. We could rodeo all year, but, oh no, we have to drive here,
there, everywhere.

So . . . am I the only person here who notices all the vacant
buildings going up to hold failing businesses? How's about a
sure-fire bet? I know that an indoor arena would be used. Properly
built it could hold "beaucoup" events for all the people of Pagosa.
How about the big empty monstrosity on the west end of town . . .
Just haul in some dirt and sand, then, let's rodeo.

Sharman Denison

Amendment 24

Dear Editor,

Colorado Amendment 24, titled "Citizen Management of Growth" on
the November ballot, presents an interesting conundrum for Archuleta
County voters.

At the League of Women Voters candidates forum, held on Oct.
17, Katherine Goldman (pro) and Dusty Pierce (con) presented their
views on this amendment.

Ms. Goldman pointed out that this amendment will put decisions
about future growth into the hands of local voters, rather than
special interests. Local governments would be required, following
public hearings, to submit growth area maps to the voters for
approval. As a result, local citizens would have a voice in planning
where and what kind of development should be allowed, with the
opportunity to take into consideration affects of development on
traffic congestion, scenic and wildlife corridors, rural and ranch
lands, and open space. County governments will have to identify areas
of future growth based on their ability to provide services such as
central water and sewer. Ms. Goldman also replied, to a question from
the audience, that existing county approved subdivisions would be
allowed to complete their development under current regulations. This
statement appears to be correct if one carefully reads both Section
2, subsection 2(a) and (b), and section 9, subsections (1) and (2) of
the ballot proposal for Amendment 24.

Mr. Pierce countered that counties should be allowed to control
their own growth patterns rather than being subjected to a "one size
fits all" mandate that emanates from growth problems on the Front
Range. Furthermore, Amendment 24 would create another layer of
unneeded bureaucracy and a feasting ground for lawyers. He cites the
work done by our Vision Committee, with community input, as a
constructive way of planning for local growth while maintaining local
control.

The framework for a rational, well thought out plan for future
growth in Archuleta County has evolved from a series of meetings
conducted by the Vision Committee with community input over the last
several months. The plan contains many positive elements that, if
implemented, could result in a growth pattern for Archuleta County
that avoids many of the problems, experienced in other Colorado
counties, which led to Amendment 24.

The conundrum for local voters is this: Will our county
commissioners have the political will and determination to approve
and implement the Vision Committee/citizen plan, or will it take
mandates, such as those contained in Amendment 24, to turn this plan
into reality?

Gary Hopkins

Too extreme

Dear Editor,

Vote no on Amendment 24. Amendment 24 is too extreme for
Colorado. It invites economic chaos, could put neighbor against
neighbor, would cost millions to taxpayers and bring about a
bureaucratic nightmare. It's too extreme for Colorado. Let Coloradans
decide what is best for Colorado.

Vote no on 24.

Russ Lee

Editor's note: Only Coloradans are eligible to vote in Colorado
elections.

Every nation . . .

Dear Editor,

Many of your readers may have heard the words of Joseph De
Maistre before, but most have probably forgotten them. "Every nation
has the government it deserves." I guess this would be for the local
also. I wonder if Jim Sawicki would agree?

Bob Lowe

Proud cyclist

Dear Editor,

This is in response to J.D. Tyler's letter (SUN, Oct. 12) about
our local motorcycle club.

The "Sons of Silence." Mr. Tyler, you obviously do not know
these people and have not lived here long. Most of these "hoodlums,
thugs and gangsters" as you have labeled them have lived in our
community for a long time and actually have respectable jobs here
locally.

I am a member of a local Christian motorcycle group and have
known these club members for several years now. The leathers and
tattoos do give us a rough appearance but these guys will not start a
fight unless provoked by some drunk or idiot that starts it first.
They have a right to stop by any local pub or any other public
establishment they wish and I don't know of any that are afraid of
them, nor should anyone else be, unless you want to start trouble.

The Sons of Silence, aka High Plains Drifters, have contributed
to many organizations such as Toys for Tots, MS, Soldiers for Jesus,
and the Christian Motorcycle Association to name a few.

I am proud to stand in the gap and support our local Sons of
Silence.

God has not finished with any of us yet.

Cheryl McMains

Things in Pagosa

Dear Editor,

There are some things in Pagosa that puzzle me.

1. During the summer gasoline prices soared. I was told they
would go down after the tourists left. They haven't. Conoco for
instance charges $1.68 per gallon for their most economical gas.
Conoco in Durango all summer charged $1.54 . . . it still does. What
needs to happen here so that our prices come down?

2. We all know that water flows to the lowest point. What I
don't understand is why the watering station up-town was constructed
so that every time we fill up for water our feet get soaked in the
puddles. If the cement portion was raised, the water could run
off.

3. When we handle the hose that fills our water tanks (both up
and down town) black comes off on our hands. We can wear gloves, but
doesn't that black leach off and toxify the water? Is there another
hose that would be healthier for us?

Looking at ways to make Pagosa a better place to live.

John Michaels

Support education

Dear Dave,

Because there is so much talk today about education of our
nation's children, I hope, with this letter, to influence some of our
citizens in support of our nation's public school education. For the
past five years I have been a volunteer tutor at our elementary
school. I firmly believe it is at this age level that values such as
kindness, tolerance and commitment to excellence in learning is
established and our elementary school teachers deserve our cheers. I
wish everyone could observe how our students crowd around our
mentally and physically compromised youngsters in the classroom and
on the playground - they "drown" these children with love and
friendship.

This does not happen by accident, but rather from the
encouragement of our teachers and school personnel - it is such a
wonderful thing to see. In addition, I am impressed by how very much
the children express their love and appreciation for the help I give
them - they truly want to learn and those who need a little extra
"one on one" become so very proud as they find they are able to keep
up with the class and I am no longer needed at their side.

We are fortunate to have such excellent, devoted teachers and
staff. However, much of the criticism of our public schools is
actually directed at the inner cities whose tax-base support is very
low - rarely do you find businesses, tourism, etc. located in these
districts. I wish every community could be so fortunate as, for
instance, a place like Baytown, Texas, where the major employers are
oil companies - my, what a wonderful tax base. And they have the most
modern facilities available and are able to hire and keep the best
trained teachers. There is no comparison between that school system
and our inner cities where the schools are ancient and in disrepair;
textbooks are scarce and outdated; and the environment and pay such
that teacher recruitment is a major problem. If you had the choice of
where to teach, where would you choose? If you were a child, would
these conditions make you feel that your education is important?
These children greatly need the kind of public school that we provide
our children here in Pagosa Springs - think about it, folks and vote
your conscience.

Patty Tillerson

Less maintenance

Dear Editor,

Since you are in agreement with Mr. Chavez on roads I guess you
respect his thoughts about how poorly they are being constructed in
the county now.

Would you agree that if they were constructed properly in the
first place, they would require less maintenance? By asphalting a
number of roads in Fairfield with the settlement funds that should
have meant less maintenance by eliminating the grading of
chuckholes.

I just observed the county constructing Navajo Court and there
was no heavy base put down first.

Many times people don't react or get involved until there is a
crisis. If roads get bad enough from no maintenance there may be a
bigger turnout at the next commissioners election.

Fred Wegener

Editor's note: Former Commissioner Chris Chavez has eight years
of first-hand experience with poorly constructed and poorly
maintained county roads. The county's roads and bridges are in better
condition now than during his two terms as commissioner.

Thanks everyone!

Dear Editor,

My family and I would like to thank everyone that stopped to
assist me after my misfortune Friday night on U.S. 84.

Whoever you all are, and there were many, thank you. Especially
to the woman who loaned me her blanket, took care of the family puppy
and confirmed my porcupine sighting.

Just in case you were wondering, my blood alcohol was zero. It
is incredible how physically shaken you become from that type of an
ordeal, it hindered me from being able to perform simple tests
adequately.

Mrs. Chiles was born in Odessa, Mo., on Feb. 9, 1914, the
youngest child of Abner John Adair and Oda Youree Adair. Her father
was the owner and editor of the Odessa Democrat and a Civil War
historian. Mrs. Chiles' maternal grandfather was Lt. Jesse Russell
Youree of the 34th Texas Cavalry, C.S.A. Her paternal grandfather,
Lt. Abner Ellis Adair, fought with the 16th Missouri Infantry, C.S.A.
and later was awarded the "Southern Cross of Honor." At the age of
14, Sue Ellis Adair helped Harry Truman and her father dedicate Adair
Park near Kansas City. In June 1932, Miss Adair served as Maid of
Honor in the Missouri delegation to the United Confederate Veterans
Reunion in Richmond, Va. She was again honored in 1934 by a request
to accompany the Missouri delegation to the U.C.V. Reunion in
Chattanooga, Tenn. On Sept. 9, 1935, she became the bride of Morton
Perrin Chiles Jr. of Independence, Mo., uniting two prominent pioneer
families of Jackson County. Mrs. Chiles graduated from St. Louis
University in 1937. She accompanied her husband and family on his
tours with the F.B.I. in Charlotte, N.C.; Baltimore, Md.; Washington,
D.C.; San Antonio, Texas; and New Orleans. The Chiles' made numerous
visits to the White House during the Truman Administration, as the
Trumans had been family friends of both the Adair and Chiles families
back in Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Chiles returned to San Antonio in 1958
where they remained until the death of Mr. Chiles in 1992 and the
recent move of Mrs. Chiles to be near her daughter in Fort Worth.

Mr. and Mrs. Chiles spent the summer months at their home
outside Pagosa Springs, where Mrs. Chiles was an active member of
Community United Methodist Church, Civic Club, and Friends of the
Library. For many years, Mrs. Chiles was a first grade teacher in San
Antonio at Howard Elementary School in the Alamo Heights Independent
School District. She was an active member of the Alamo Heights United
Methodist Church and started their first preschool and kindergarten
in 1950. Mrs. Chiles was a member of Chapter BX, P.E.O. Sisterhood,
the F.B.I. Women's Auxiliary, the Alamo Chapter of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, the Theta Beta Chapter of the Delta Kappa
Gamma Society and the Texas Retired Teachers Association.

A graveside service was to be held today for family and friends
at Sun Set Memorial Park in San Antonio.

People

October 26, 2000

50th Anniversary

The children of William and Virginia Penton congratulate them
on their 50th anniversary. They were married on Oct. 14, 1950.

Wedding

Preston A. Goetzke and Ladonna K. Gawf were united in marriage
at the home of friends Dave and Kathy Shaffer of Pagosa Springs on
Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000.

Sports Page

October 26, 2000

Pirate team, Lady Pirate pair
in cross country finals

By Karl Isberg

The Pirate cross country team, and two Lady Pirate runners,
will compete Saturday at the Colorado 1A-3A State Championship Meet
on a course at the Kent Denver School.

Qualifiers for the upcoming state meet were determined in
regional competition Oct. 21 on a course at Monte Vista.

Twelve boys teams were at the Monte Vista meet and the top four
teams earned a trip to Denver. Of the seven girls team in the
competition, three earned the right to go to State.

Pirate runners crafted a pack time of one minute, twelve
seconds to finish fourth at the regional meet.

The meet was won by Monte Vista, with 48 points. Salida was
second with 54 points and Buena Vista took third, scoring 58 points.
Pagosa was just behind Buena Vista, with 60 points - a scant distance
in the world of cross country competition. An indication of the
Pirates' improvement over the season is shown by the fact that, at a
Sept. 9 meet at Leadville, Buena Vista's fourth runner crossed the
finish line ahead of the Pirates' top runner.

"This was a very tight race," said Pirate coach Scott Anderson.
"A few very slight differences in the finish order and times, and we
were in second place."

Todd Mees was the top man at regionals for the Pirates. Mees, a
sophomore, took seventh place overall, with a time of 17:26.

Senior Travis Laverty ended the race with the same time as Mees
and was awarded eighth place in the standings.

Patrick Riley, another Pirate senior, put in a great effort,
hitting the finish line at 18:16, in 19th place.

A time of 18:42 put sophomore Nick Hall in 30th place.

Trevor Peterson, fighting an illness, was 36th in the
individual standings. The junior's time was 19:27.

"Todd and Travis were up at the front again," said Anderson,
"doing what they know how to do. Patrick Riley had a career race;
this was the fastest time he has run. Trevor was battling an illness
and Nick Hall came through with the race of life to help us qualify.
Ryan Beavers did not run at Monte Vista, but he will go to Denver as
our alternate."

In the girls race, the Lady Pirates just missed a trip to
Denver as a team. The meet was won in emphatic fashion by Monte
Vista, with 29 points. Bayfield had 51 points to take second place
and Centauri had a score of 53 points the put the team in third. The
Lady Pirates scored 66 points to take fourth in the team
standings.

Ten individual runners in the field, aside from the runners who
qualify as members of teams, are selected to run at the state
meet.

Lady Pirate Aubrey Volger was the third-place runner in the
individual standings, narrowly missing second place with a sprint at
the finish of the race. Volger's time was 20:24.

Senior Amber Mesker will make the trip to the state meet after
finishing 15th in the field with a time of 21:45.

Tiffany Thompson, a junior, had a time of 22:31 and placed 25th
in the field of individual runners.

Sophomore newcomer Amanda McCain had an excellent race at Monte
Vista, finishing 26th with a time of 22:37. McCain's time established
the Lady Pirate pack time of 2:13.

Senior Annah Rolig finished her Lady Pirate cross country
career with a time of 22:45, in 28th place.

"Aubrey and Amber qualified to run as individuals," said
Anderson, "and Tiffany missed qualifying by one place. Overall, I was
disappointed for the girls that they could not go to Denver as a
team. We couldn't make that happen, but that's why they run the
races."

Anderson said practices the week prior to the big meet are
geared to getting the most from his athletes when they take to the
course at Kent Denver Saturday, having them peak just before the
biggest race of the season.

"We've been talking to Aubrey about tactics. We had a tough
regional and I think she'll have a good run at the state meet. Amber
is a senior and this is her last race. We've been talking about what
to do, how to approach it. It's her race to run."

Anderson figures the Pirates' chances at state will hinge on
the pack time established by the squad's number-four runner.

"We told Nick Hall that we needed him at regionals and he
responded; he did what he had to do. We've been trying some dietary
things with Trevor and if he can run with Patrick, I think our guys
will look pretty good. Todd and Travis will definitely be up toward
the front of the pack and I think we have a chance to surprise a lot
of people."

Boys race at Kent Denver at 10 a.m. Girls leave the start line
at 11:45 a.m.

The Kent Denver campus is located at Quincy Avenue and Colorado
Boulevard, south of Hampton Avenue (U.S. 285).

Rodeo Series ends, banquet set
Nov. 10

The 2000 Pagosa Springs Rodeo Series concluded on Sept. 24.
Contestants competed in as many as five rodeos accumulating point
toward year-end prizes. The awards banquet is tentatively set for
Friday, Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m. at the Vista Clubhouse.

Pagosa thumped Bayfield 33-12 last Friday. With the win, the
Pirates remain unbeaten in Intermountain League play, setting up a
showdown tomorrow night at Monte Vista for the league
championship.

Monte Vista, the other Pirates in the IML, is also unbeaten in
the conference. Both Pirates have 6-2 season records. Last week Monte
squeaked past Centauri 14-8. Monte has lost to Florence and New
Mexico's St. Pius X. Pagosa Springs has lost to Kirtland and Piedra
Vista, both New Mexico schools. Last year, Pagosa upset a highly
rated and unbeaten Monte team 15-6 in Pagosa Springs.

Because Pagosa was a 3A team last year, they competed in the 3A
playoffs where they lost in the first round to eventual 3A champions
Fort Morgan. As the second place team in the IML, Monte also went to
the playoffs, but as a 2A school. They lost to 2A state champions
Buena Vista in the championship game. Bayfield, which finished third
in the IML, but was the second-place 2A school in the IML, visited
the playoffs last year where they were beaten in the first round by
Cedaredge.

This year Pagosa Springs is competing as a 2A school in the
IML. Consequently, only two teams will represent the IML in the
playoffs. The first place team from the IML will play the second
place team from the Pike's Peak League in the opening round of the
playoffs. Right now, that looks like Florence, a 12-0 loser to Buena
Vista last weekend. The second place team from the IML will open
playoff action against the first place team from the PPL, most likely
Buena Vista.

And so, tomorrow night's Pagosa Springs Pirate versus Monte
Vista Pirate contest starting at 7 in Monte Vista will be for the
league championship. The winner will be champs, the loser runnerup.
Both teams will enter the state 2A playoffs.

"Monte Vista is pretty much doing what they've done for years,"
said Pagosa coach Myron Stretton. "Mostly they run from a formation
with a tight end, split end, and three backs. They'll run the veer
offense with options. Usually, the option choice is made further down
the line, maybe just past the tackle. They have three options at that
time. They don't throw a lot, but they have a good passer and an
excellent receiver (Jacob Jones). Our cornerbacks are going to have
to cover him if we are to win."

Pagosa versus Bayfield

Pagosa's defensive backs have been doing their job over the
past few weeks. Last week they picked off three passes against
Bayfield. The week before, they intercepted three passes against
Ignacio and the week before that three passes from Centauri.

Pagosa's defense should get a pat on the back for the win over
Bayfield. The Pirate offense had the ball for 11 possessions during
the game. They scored on four of those possessions, fumbled the ball
away on four more possessions, and turned the ball over on
interceptions on the remaining two possessions.

Credit the Pirate D with making sure Bayfield was only able to
take advantage of two of the six turnovers for scores. Of their 11
possessions, Bayfield scored twice, was held for downs twice, punted
three times with one punt blocked, turned the ball over on
interceptions three times, and fumbled the ball away once.

The Wolverines won the coin toss and elected to start by
receiving the opening kickoff. Matt Brown returned Darin Lister's
kickoff to the 16-yard line. Brown then ran for two yards, Kelly
Greer picked up six yards around the left side, and Jay Miller was
held for no gain. As Jon Qualls was back to punt with fourth and two
on the Bayfield 24-yard line, a lightning bolt in the form of Pirate
Josh Richardson struck.

Richardson blocked the punt, giving Pagosa a first down on the
Bayfield seven-yard line. Four plays later, Clint Shaw cracked for
one yard and a touchdown. Lister kicked the extra point and Pagosa
was on top 7-0 with 8:19 remaining in the first period. Credit a
score to the defense.

Bayfield started their second series on their own 26-yard line.
They managed one first down before the Pirate defense shut the door
with a fourth down tackle of Greer on the Bayfield 46-yard line.

After starting on the Bayfield 46, Pagosa drove for a first
down before a fumble gave Bayfield the ball on the 36-yard line. This
time, the Wolverines drove the length of the field for a score just
as the second quarter started. Pirate Tyrel Ross blocked the extra
point try. Pagosa led 7-6 with 11:25 remaining in the first half.

The Pirates only needed two plays to fumble after receiving the
Bayfield kickoff. While licking their lips in anticipation of an easy
score based on excellent field position, the Wolverines started with
a first down on the Pirate 20-yard line. Four plays later Pirate
Justin Kerns slammed Greer to the ground on the 12-yard line.
Pagosa's D wiped the grin from the Wolverine's face. Once again, the
Pirate offense launched a drive. This time Bayfield's Miller
intercepted a Janowsky pass to end the drive.

For Bayfield on their next possession, the story was the same,
four plays and out. And so the pattern repeated for the remainder of
the first half - first a Pagosa turnover, then the Pirate D stopping
Bayfield. Suddenly, with nine seconds remaining in the half, Janowsky
connected with Lister deep in the left corner of the field, Lister
slipped past a befuddled defender, and Pagosa scored. After Lister
kicked the extra point, Pagosa trotted off of the field at halftime
with a 14-6 lead.

For Pagosa, the second half startup looked a lot like the
previous period. Following an 11-yard return of the opening kickoff,
Pagosa fumbled on the third play. Bayfield took advantage of the
shortened field by driving 32 yards in six plays for a TD. Bayfield's
attempt to tie the score with a two-point conversion was stopped.
With 7:27 remaining in the third period, Pagosa's lead had shrunk to
14-12.

The Pirates started from their own 16-yard line after receiving
the ensuing kickoff. Eight plays later, Lister fell to the turf and
Bayfield intercepted a Janowsky pass. This time Wolverine field
position was no advantage. They started from their own five-yard
line. Three plays moved the ball out to the 18-yard line where
Bayfield quarterback Qualls threw into the right flat. Pirate
linebacker Tyrel Ross scooped up the throw and galloped down to the
seven-yard line. Shaw scored on the next play, Lister missed the
extra point try, and Pagosa led 20-12 with 2:54 remaining in the
third period. Credit another score for the Pirate defense.

Three plays later, Bayfield threw another interception, this
time to Nathan Stretton. Pagosa launched another drive from the
Bayfield 48-yard line. In just six plays, the Pirates entered the end
zone again. Lister kicked the extra point. With 10:50 left in the
game Pagosa led by a more comfortable 27-12.

The Wolverines refused to quit. They drove 62 yards on their
next possession, only to fumble on the Pirate 15-yard line. From
there, Pagosa launched an 11-play sustained drive that ended when
Caleb Mellette pounded into the end zone. Pagosa couldn't get the
extra point kick into the air, but it didn't matter. With 2:18 left
on the clock, the Pirates led 33-12.

On Bayfield's next possession, Garrett Tomforde turned out the
lights with the third Pirate interception of the game. The theft was
Tomforde's fifth in the last three games.

Pagosa piled up 280 yards on the ground and another 81 yards
through the air for a total of 361 yards during the game. Shaw was
the leading rusher with 139 yards on 17 carries, an average of 8.2
yards a carry. Janowsky carried six times for 50 yards, an average of
8.3 yards a try; Mellette carried nine times for 47 yards, an average
of 5.2 yards a carry; and Stretton nine times for 44 yards, an
average of 4.8 yards a carry.

Janowsky completed four of seven pass attempts for 81 yards and
two touchdowns, along with two interceptions. One Janowsky to Lister
touchdown pass halfway through the first period was called back
because of an illegal procedure penalty. Tyrel Ross caught two passes
for 16 yards and a touchdown, Lister one pass for 40 yards and a
touchdown, and Stretton one pass for 25 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, Stretton, Tyrel Ross, and
Tomforde all turned in interceptions, Mike Vega recovered a fumble,
and Jason Schutz recorded a sack. Tomforde and Kerns each made nine
tackles including eight unaided tackles by Tomforde and seven unaided
tackles by Kerns. Schutz and Lister each made eight tackles, Shaw and
Vega six tackles, and Richardson, Ford, and Tyrel Ross five tackles
each.

Around the IML

Pagosa Springs and Monte Vista lead the IML, each with three
wins and no losses. Bayfield is next with two wins and two losses.
Centauri and Ignacio each have three losses and will battle each
other this coming weekend to see who ends up in the cellar. Bayfield
has completed IML play and steps outside of the league this week to
end their season at Blanding, Utah. Ignacio topped Dolores last week
39-30.

Ladies defeat Centauri, Monte
for league crown

By Karl Isberg

The only Intermountain League volleyball team that can beat
Pagosa Springs this year is. . . Pagosa Springs.

With victories last week over Centauri and Monte Vista, the
Lady Pirates closed their regular season, finishing with a 16-3
overall record and defeating each IML opponent twice to forge an 8-0
league mark.

With the unblemished league mark, the Lady Pirate program
logged its fifth consecutive IML regular season without a defeat.
Counting regular season matches and district playoff matches against
IML foes, the Ladies have not dropped a match to an IML team since
early in the 1995 season.

Pagosa will face three IML teams at Saturday's district
tournament at Monte Vista, but the Ladies' most difficult opponent
will be themselves.

IML teams have had trouble scoring earned points against
formidable Pagosa blockers. Most points on the other side of the
scoreboard are there as a result of Pagosa mistakes, not the
strengths of the other team.

If the Ladies cut back on errors, the district tourney should
be a success.

Against Centauri at La Jara Oct. 19, the Ladies were
inconsistent in their 15-8, 15-8 win. The Falcons, on the other hand,
were a better team than the one that visited Pagosa Springs Sept. 16,
losing to the Ladies 15-1, 15-7. Centauri's strengths seem to be
developing as the season ends, including decent offensive and
defensive play at the net and good setting. The Falcons could play a
major role at the upcoming district fight.

Pagosa was hitting on all cylinders as the match began at La
Jara. A fluid Lady Pirate attack led to a quick 10-1 lead. Centauri
turned over two gift points with hitting errors, and the Ladies
scored with kills by Ashley Gronewoller, Nicole Buckley and Katie
Lancing, aces by Gronewoller and Lancing, and a tandem block by
Gronewoller and Lancing.

The illusion of control dissipated quickly as the Ladies'
machine vapor locked, giving up three quick points with passing and
hitting errors. Centauri's Cindy McCarroll scored for her team with a
solo block.

Lancing dumped the ball to empty spots in the Falcon defense
all night long and she was successful on Pagosa's 11th point.
Gronewoller killed, but the Ladies surrendered momentum with a
receive error. Centauri scored three times compliments of sloppy play
on Pagosa's side of the court, but turned the ball over with a
botched serve.

Gronewoller scored with a solo block, Buckley put a kill
cross-court and Gronewoller and Lancing stuffed a hit by McCarroll to
end the game.

Pagosa took a substantial lead early in the second game of the
match, going in front 7-0 with a down-the-line kill by Andrea Ash, a
solo block by Lancing, a tandem block by Gronewoller and Buckley, two
aces by Lancing and some gifts from the Falcons.

With Pagosa ahead 9-2, Centauri reeled off five unanswered
points, bringing the home crowd alive with some solid play. A dump
inside the Pagosa block scored a point, a Lady Pirate hitting error
surrendered a point, and a Falcon blocked for a point. Another Pagosa
hitting error added a point to the Centauri total and Erin McCarroll
put a tip to the floor to close the gap to 9-8.

Despite an enthusiastic response from the Falcon supporters,
the Centauri run did not phase the Lady Pirates.

Ash stopped the bleeding with a kill to the back line of the
court and the Ladies ran off six points to take the game and the
match. Pagosa earned points with another kill by Ash, an ace by
Tiffanie Hamilton, a solo block by Lancing on Cindy McCarroll and a
Buckley kill of a Falcon overpass.

Pagosa's big hitters all contributed to the victory. Hamilton
killed 6 of 14 attempts, for a .487 average. Gronewoller killed 8 of
17 attempts (.470 ) and Buckley was 7 for 16 (.437).

Lancing and Gronewoller each had a solo block. Lancing took
part in four tandem blocks; Gronewoller assisted on three blocks.

Buckley had 10 digs go to the setter and Ash sent 9 digs to the
setter.

Lancing put up 20 assists during the match and hit 3 ace
serves. Gronewoller hit one ace against Centauri.

Lady Pirate coach Penné Hamilton saw a different Falcon
team at La Jara from the one her team faced at Pagosa on Sept.
16.

"I thought Centauri played a lot better against us than they
did the first match of the year," said Hamilton. "They put some good
blocks up and we had to play some offense against them."

While Centauri fans and players were buoyed by the momentum in
the second game of the match, Hamilton was not overly concerned by
the Falcons' five-point run.

"Their coach (Brian Loch) got excited," said Hamilton, "but I
called a timeout and told the girls to get the ball over the net and
play our game. We didn't have any trouble after that. But, Centauri
turned around and beat Ignacio (on Oct. 21). They are getting better
and they will be gunning at the district tournament on Saturday."

Monte Vista

One team that is not likely to be gunning at the tournament is
Monte Vista. The team faces a playoff with Bayfield tonight to
determine the fourth and final seed for districts and Monte Vista is
not the favorite to extend the season.

The Lady Pirates managed a relatively easy 15-6, 15-4 victory
over Monte Vista as the teams locked up in an Oct. 21 homecoming
match at Pagosa Springs. But for some lackluster play on the part of
the Ladies, the match would have been over in record time.

Monte streaked to a 4-0 lead in the first game, compliments of
Lady Pirate serve-receive, passing and hitting errors. In a spirit of
true generosity, Monte Vista then gave back five points with errors
of their own. Pagosa went in front 7-5 with nary an earned point
scored in a flurry of extremely careless play.

Finally, Hamilton scored with an ace serve and the way was
cleared to end the affair. Lancing dumped the ball for a point then
combined with Gronewoller on a stuff block to boost the score to
10-5.

Buckley killed for a point, Monte committed two errors then
mishandled serves by Ash and Lancing and the first game of the match
was over.

The visitors from the San Luis Valley mishandled a serve by Ash
to start the second game, then hit a ball out to give the Ladies a
2-0 advantage.

Monte scored its first earned point, but Canty killed from
outside, Lancing hit an ace and Buckley scored with a kill to put
Pagosa ahead 5-1. Buckley then killed off the pass to extend the Lady
Pirate advantage.

Monte crawled back to 6-4 before the Ladies took the ball and,
with Hamilton at the serve, ripped off seven unanswered points, the
flurry ending with a kill of a quick set by Gronewoller. The visitors
managed a single point in the midst of seven sideouts then Canty put
a point on the scoreboard and a Monte hitting error gave the Ladies
the deciding point.

Lady Pirate stats tell the story: there was not a lot of action
in the final IML match on the regular season schedule.

Lancing had 3 kills in 4 attempts for a .750 average.
Gronewoller was 5 for 8 (.625) and Buckley managed a .400 average
with 4 kills in 10 attempts.

Ash hit two ace serves against Monte. Buckley and Hamilton each
put 4 digs to the setter. Lancing and Gronewoller each participated
in 2 tandem blocks and Lancing compiled 12 assists during the
match.

"Our kids controlled the game," said coach Hamilton, "but Monte
Vista did return a bit more than they did during our first match and
they actually blocked us a few times. I thought we played tired,
lethargic. We didn't play with a lot of excitement."

District tourney

The District 1 tournament Saturday is the first step in
post-season play the Lady Pirates hope will extend all the way to the
state tournament at Denver.

The tourney will be played at Monte Vista (whether or not the
host team qualifies tonight) and the two top teams in the four-team
field will advance to regional action Nov. 4.

Riding the wave of an unbeaten league season, the Lady Pirates
are the top seed at the tournament and will open their tourney action
against the winner of the Bayfield/Monte Vista pigtail match. The
Ladies' first tournament match is at 11:45 a.m.

Next up for Pagosa will be Centauri, which finished third in
the league standings. Centauri promises to be a handful for every
team at the event, since the Falcons are peaking in time for
post-season action. An approximate time of 1:45 p.m. is set for the
contest.

The final match of the day for Pagosa should take place at
approximately 4:15 p.m., pitting the Ladies against IML second-place
finisher Ignacio. The Bobcats dropped their final match of the
regular season to Centauri and, in the offing, lost top hitter
Crystal Young to an ankle injury. Without Young, the Bobcats need to
make adjustments in their floor plan to have a chance against the
Lady Pirates.

"We've been practicing well," said coach Hamilton. "Now that
the C-team and junior varsity seasons are over I have (assistant
coaches) Connie O'Donnell and Shelly Wedemeyer to help at practice
and we can work on particular aspects of our game. We've had good
practices now that a difficult homecoming week is over. We need to
start playing good volleyball. We can't play to another team's level
if it is lower than ours, and our girls need to be excited about
every serve, every score. It's time to pick it up a level and time to
get things going."

There is a lot at stake Saturday. The winner of the tournament
will probably be tabbed to host the Nov. 4 regional tournament. The
second-place tournament team will have to travel to play its regional
opponents.

Pirates deflate Bayfield
balloon

By Richard Walter

If you heard a loud whoosh rise from Pagosa's south side
Saturday, you probably were a Bayfield soccer fan watching as the
hometown team avenged its worst loss of the season by letting the air
out of the Wolverines' state playoff balloon.

Playing the second game of the district tournament at Golden
Peaks Stadium, the Pagosa Springs Pirates avenged their 10-1
shellacking in Bayfield on Sept. 26.

But getting to the point where the needle went into the balloon
was a marathon effort keyed by brilliant defense, consistent offense
and continuous teamwork by both squads.

Whatever you want in a high school soccer match was available
in this one: Crisp passes, nail-biting drama, exhilaration and
numbness, cheers and jeers, exhausting, endless competition and the
sheer excitement of playoff contention.

Bayfield was home team for the game by virtue of its higher
seed. But the home field was Pagosa's and the Pirates reacted to that
advantage with an early 2-0 lead.

The Wolverines, undaunted though obviously surprised by the
Pagosa attack, stormed back to tie the game in the second half and
then both teams' defenses took over. Through one 15-minute
sudden-death overtime, and then another, they battled like true
champions, each team unable to dent the other's shield of
defense.

Then came the ultimate in prep athletics. A trip to the state
tournament decided by a shoot-out. Five shooters selected for each
side. Each given one free shot 10 yards away from a goal keeper with
no defense in front of him.

First to fire was Bayfield's Chris Howlett who was stopped by
Pagosa goal keeper Matt Mesker leaping to his right for a two-hand
save.

Then, kicking for the Pirates was their all-everything man of
perpetual motion Daniel Crenshaw. He approached the ball, took a skip
step, and ripped a bullet drive to the right past Bayfield keeper
Chris Smithwick. Advantage Pagosa, 1-0.

Bayfield's Thad Hill was next up. He tried to go the opposite
way, drilling a shot toward the right corner. But Mesker again came
up big, diving to his left to stop the shot. Pagosa's number two
shooter, Brian Hart, came to the line next. Unsatisfied by the
official's spot of the ball, he iced Smithwick while exercising his
right to move the ball once. Then he backed to his left, awaited the
whistle, and finally drove another shot past Smithwick. Advantage 2-0
Pagosa.

The Wolverines would not go without a fight. Chip Ferguson was
next up and blistered a kick that Mesker tipped but could not stop
and the shootout closed to 2-1. Then came Kyle Sanders, whose
contested effort at the 22-minute mark in the match's first period
had given Pagosa the game's first score. No hesitation this time.
Ball spotted, whistle, and Sanders had driven another shot past
Smithwick. Pagosa's advantage 3-1.

Up came Bayfield's premier attacker, lanky Rory Martinez,
considered by many the league's best player. He had been frustrated
all day by Pagosa defense. But, with no opponent to ward off, he beat
Mesker high to the right and the advantage was down to 3-2 Pagosa.
When Pagosa's Trent Sanders came up next there was silence in the
constantly growing crowd. And a collective groan when his shot sailed
over the net.

That groan crescendoed into a cheer of victory moments later,
however, when Bayfield's No. 5 shooter, Chris Carroll sent his kick
into almost the same over-the-net spot as Trent Sanders' had
gone.

With Bayfield out of shots, the Pirates had stopped the
prolific Wolverine attack and the needle went into the balloon.

Then the celebration of advancing to state playoff action
commenced, with jubilant teammates sprinting toward the goal, lifting
Mesker to their shoulders and parading off the field.

The contest began slowly, with neither team able to dent the
other's defense. In fact, the game was better than four minutes old
before the first shot on goal, a Brandon Perkins drive snared easily
by Mesker.

The Pirates first chance came at 6:20 when Mike Pierce raced
the right wing, dropped a back kick to Hart and closed toward the net
as Hart led Trent Sanders on the left wing. Smithwick made his first
save on Trent's left-footer.

Just over two minutes later, Trent's brother, Kyle, deked two
defenders after taking a lead from Crenshaw and ripped a drive which
caromed off the left post.

At 11:41, Bayfield seemed sure to score. A swarming offense
keyed by Martinez and Chip Ferguson had three consecutive shots from
point-blank range stopped by three different Pirates. Mesker made the
first but went down outside the net. Ryan Lister came from his
defensive wing spot to block Ferguson's rebound try and then Crenshaw
ripped down Martinez' drive as Mesker scampered to get back in
net.

Bayfield kept the ball in the Pirates' end but couldn't mount
an effective attack until Martinez broke free for one of his few
unfettered attempts of the day at 15:30, only to see his drive go
wide right.

Fifty seconds later it was the Pirates' turn to be foiled.
Pierce's cross to Kyle Sanders on the left wing was dropped
beautifully to Crenshaw in front of the net but his header was
stopped by Smithwick. Then it was Mesker's turn to shine again,
batting away Martinez' drive from the left, a shot impeded initially
by Pagosa's Reuben Coray, who was on Martinez like a glove most of
the afternoon.

In the next six minutes, the only offensive threats by either
team were shots by Crenshaw, both turned aside by Smithwick.

Then came Kyle Sanders' opening score, a kick from the left off
a rebound drop by Jordan Kurt-Mason on a kick from Crenshaw. The goal
was initially disallowed but after the officials conferred, they
changed the ruling, allowing the goal and the Pirates had a 1-0
lead.

Less than two minutes later, at 24:19, the lead was boosted to
2-0 when Hart ripped into Kyle Sanders' drop lead and Smithwick, who
had moved anticipating a Sanders shot was out of position for Hart's
blast.

The next five shots were all Bayfield's, with Mesker up to the
challenge on the first four but unable to stop Perkins' drive on a
free kick at 37:11, and the score narrowed to 2-1 Pagosa.

During the final four minutes of the half both Perkins and
Ferguson were yellow-carded for over-agression but the Pirates were
not able to take advantage though they had two glorious scoring
opportunities.

The first, at 38:13, had Crenshaw taking a cross from Trent
Sanders and rippling a cannon shot off the crossbar. Just 48 seconds
later, Zeb Gill dropped a back kick lead from the right corner to
Pierce but his shot from eight yards sailed just outside the right
corner post.

The second half opened with a Pirate barrage with Kyle Sanders,
Pierce and then Hart each stopped on point-blank drives by Smithwick.
And 54 seconds later, Trent Sanders' effort off a lead from his
brother hit the left post. Exactly six minutes later, the same play
produced an identical result.

Then momentum seemed to switch slightly to the Wolverines. At
11:08, Ferguson's drive from the left sailed over the net. Bayfield
defenders, however, kept the ball in Pagosa's zone and at 12:08, on a
corner kick lead, Chris Carroll was wide open in front of the net and
beat Mesker in the left corner for a 2-2 tie.

Then the defenses on both sides rose to the challenge with
three saves by Mesker in the next five minutes and two by Smithwick,
one on a brilliant move by Jordan Kurt-Mason at mid-field and an
ensuing cross to an attacking Gill whose drop to Pierce resulted in a
header just wide to the left.

Mesker and Smithwick continued trading saves until time ran out
and the teams remained tied at 2-2.

In the first sudden-death overtime, Crenshaw was stopped at
4:43 on a left-foot kick from 20 yards. The rebound was played to
midfield by Bayfield where Howlett's lead to Perkins left him open on
the right wing but Mesker made the save. At 7:49, it was Mesker to
the rescue again, stopping Martinez on a drive from the left and then
again on a corner kick.

The Wolverines stayed on the attack however, and Mesker was
unbelievable in the net. At 8:27, he stopped Howlett's drive from 10
yards on his left.

Mesker was at his very best less than a minute later when, at
9:05, he stopped Martinez, Perkins and Ferguson on successive
close-in shots, the final one being tipped just off the right
post.

Twice in the final minute, Pagosa had scoring opportunities.
First, Kyle Sanders' shot went wide left and then Hart's shot was
stopped by Smithwick and Kyle's rebound effort came out to Pierce who
was stopped by Smithwick just ahead of the whistle.

A five-minute break allowed players to catch their breath and
then the second overtime began. Just 52 seconds later Pagosa had a
winning chance when Kurt-Mason dropped a lead to Trent Sanders on his
left but his kick was wide right. And, at 1:59 fans thought the game
was over when Gill's drop cross to Crenshaw hit the cross bar before
being trapped by Smithwick.

Fifty-five seconds later, Bayfield players were sure they had
the win when first Martinez and then Perkins had open drives but
Mesker stopped both of them.

Then it was Smithwick's turn to shine again. At 6:37 he stopped
Trent Sanders' drive from the middle, then deflected Crenshaw's bid
from almost the same spot, and at 10:01, Trent's effort off a lead
from his brother, hit the left corner post and 57 seconds later
Kyle's reverse kick off Trent's drop lead was stopped by
Smithwick.

At 11:36, Mesker came out of net to cut down Ferguson on the
only true breakaway of the game and the Pirates returned to the
attack with Pierce's header deflected by Smithwick and Crenshaw's
shot off the rebound hitting the right side of the net. At 12:58
Martinez was wide right and at 14:48, on the final shot of overtime,
Ferguson's drive sailed high over the net and the shootout was
set.

There were heroes aplenty in a gutsy performance by both teams.
The keepers, obviously, were each on their best game. Coray was
everywhere Martinez was. Ryan Lister's midfield defense and corner
sweeps repeatedly halted Bayfield drives before they could get
started. The Sanders brothers were seemingly everywhere. Kurt-Mason
controlled the middle. Crenshaw was forever on the attack. Pierce was
a constant threat and Michael Dach played probably his best game of
the season.

Hart and B.J. Jones were key figures on offense and defense
respectively, and Kevin Muirhead came off the bench to contribute
quality relief minutes and tenacious defense.

But, for sheer importance to the game, coach Lindsey Kurt-Mason
said, "Zeb Gill saved our bacon." Twice in the late moments of the
second overtime, Gill raced from behind a seemingly free attacker to
sweep the ball away before a shot could be attempted, the coach
said.

But, as one fan said while leaning exhausted on the fence as
the Pirates celebrated: "Every one of those kids deserves a game ball
for that effort."

State playoff foe
unknown

By Richard Walter

Pagosa Springs High School's boys soccer team is in the state
playoffs this weekend.

But the team won't know until sometime this morning who their
opponent will be or where the game will be played.

Kahle Charles, Pagosa athletic director, told the SUN Monday
that the seeding for the Class 3A finals wouldn't be done until last
night (Wednesday).

Charles said he registered a strong complaint, noting teams
like Pagosa's will have to travel hundreds of miles and have to make
arrangements for meals and motel spaces at the last minute.

Parents, too, hoping to watch their sons in action, will have
to be able to make last-minute arrangements.

Charles said Colorado High School Activities Association
representatives agreed there had been a foul-up in the procedure and
had assured him that "it won't happen again."

In the meantime, however, the SUN is unable to report when and
where the game will be played, but it will be announced as soon as
possible today on Pagosa's KWUF radio station, 106.3 FM or 1400
AM.

Drained soccer squad falls to
Center

By Richard Walter

Drained from their marathon effort against Bayfield, Pagosa's
Pirates had little left when they collided with No. 1 seed Center in
the district championship soccer match Saturday.

Center, given an early scare in the tournament's first game by
unheralded No. 4 seed LaVeta before scrambling back for a 4-2
victory, had too much firepower for the Pirates who had gone to two
full overtimes and a shootout to gain the championship match with a
victory over Bayfield.

The Vikings, who defeated Pagosa 5-2 at Golden Peaks Stadium
just two weeks earlier, got an initial scare when the Pirates' Kyle
Sanders broke away at 1:20 and then dropped a center cross to his
brother Trent. His drive soared over the net.

A minute and 38 seconds later, Center's key scorer, Brian
Martinez, was wide right and 30 seconds later, with the ball still in
Pagosa's zone, Jeremiah Cook was victimized by a spectacular Matt
Mesker save, diving far to his right to deflect the ball.

Center kept Mesker under the gun with first Mario Resendez
hitting the left side of the net at 5:39, Brian Martinez wide right
two minutes and 16 seconds later, and Mesker making stops at 8:31 and
9:41 on Brian and Brandon Martinez, respectively.

But, at 12:51, Center's Rigoberto Gardea broke the scoring
drought on a cross from Brian Martinez.

At 14:06 the Pirates attempted to answer with Kyle Sanders lead
to his brother, Trent, sailing out of reach of Center goal keeper
Ramon Perez but, unfortunately for Pagosa, just over the cross
bar.

At 16:32, Center hiked the lead to 2-0 when Brian Martinez
lofted a floater just out of Mesker's reach. A minute and 48 seconds
later, Brian Martinez's lead to Thad Hill was kicked off the crossbar
and Pagosa escaped unscathed.

Mesker was tested and met the challenge at 21:21 and 13 seconds
later, with stops on Brian Martinez and Resendez. Then Pagosa
returned the attack on Perez who stopped Crenshaw at 23:20 from the
middle and Kyle Sanders' drive from the left at 25:17.

From 26:14 through the end of the half, with Center players
being carded twice, the game turned once again into a Matt Mesker
show with the Pirates' keeper recording seven saves in that time, the
best at 35:34 when Brian Martinez broke away from containment and
drove right on goal. Mesker refused to buy a Martinez fake to his
left, held his ground, and cut down the blistering drive five yards
in front of the net.

Mesker kept the string going 43 seconds into the second half
with a brilliant save on Braden Martinez.

At 1:49, Kyle Sanders put the Pirates briefly back into the
game with a score from the left corner cutting the Viking lead to
2-1. Just 54 seconds later, however, Center got the two-goal margin
back when Gardea scored from the right side.

Mesker turned in two more saves as his defense began to tire
noticeably in front of him before Center hiked the lead to 4-1 at
13:26 and increased to 5-1 on another score by Gardea at 15:16.

Mesker had seven more saves while his teammates were unable to
mount an effective offense for the balance of the game.

The final score, at 38:35, came on a penalty kick by
Resendez.

Final score, 6-1 Center. Both teams advance to state playoffs
this weekend.

Coach Lindsey Kurt-Mason told his exhausted players after the
game: "You came out as a team today and played as a team. You are in
the playoffs and you earned the right to be there. I couldn't be more
proud of the effort you put forth today."

We had a great time and also have the satisfaction of knowing
that the Community Center fund is over three thousand dollars to the
good as a result of the race.

We are grateful to James at JJ's for generously offering his
facility, providing a free barbecue for all who attended and for
donating 10 percent of all his food and drink revenue for the day to
the cause. We also thank Rio Jazz for encouraging those who attended
their performance that evening to buy more food and drink so the
Community Center would benefit. I also understand that they donated a
sizable chunk of their paychecks for the night to the Center fund and
I thank them profusely for their "Community" spirit and generosity.
What good guys.

Thanks to Sylvia Murray, who kindly donated the prize money,
and Mark Garcia and Teddy Finney for the time and hard work they
devoted to this project. Our gratitude and a few chuckles go out to
Jay Harrington, Mike Branch, Stan Zuege, Mark Garcia, Doug Call, and
Emily and Jenna Finney who were on the scene working their little
hearts out (some with waders). One of my favorite visuals of the day
was Mike Branch, pants rolled up, making his way through the water
with an armful of ducks. It was quite the picture.

Thanks, finally, to all of you who purchased the chances on the
race for your considerable contribution to our future Community
Center. What we know is that we will all benefit from the addition of
the Center to our community and look forward to the day we break
ground.

Ghosties and goblins

The Pagosa Springs Kiwanis Club cordially invites you to bring
all your kiddos to the Oct. 31 Halloween Party at the Parish Hall,
451 Lewis Street. Halloween Night begins at 6 p.m. There will be free
hot dogs, ice cream, candy and more than enough fun, games and prizes
for everyone. You can also look forward to the MoonWalk again, and
I've never met a child who didn't think that those were the coolest
things going. This is such a great idea and provides a fun, safe
alternative to Halloween.

Our apologies

We sincerely apologize to all who were inconvenienced by our
copy machine's recent illness. We evidently experienced what our
Xerox rep refers to as a "service tunnel," which basically translates
to "the blasted machine was on the blink for over a week and nearly
drove all of us nuts." It was no one's fault, mind you, simply a blip
on the screen of life. Our apologies to those of you, our regulars
and not-so-regulars, who came in more than once to make copies and
couldn't do so. The machine has been exorcised of all its maladies
and is once again well and compliant to the reasonable wishes of its
users. Thanks for your patience.

PPKM

You have another opportunity Saturday night to see the latest
Pagosa Players and King's Men production of "Good Help is So Hard to
Murder" at Pagosa Lodge in the Ponderosa Room. This murder mystery is
a comedy set in the 1930s in the Deep South and is directed by
Michael DeWinter and produced by Zach Nelson. Tickets are available
at the Chamber of Commerce, The Plaid Pony and WolfTracks Bookstore
and Coffee Company for $24.50 which includes dinner, show, tax and
gratuity. A buffet dinner buffet will be available with your choice
of pot roast, catfish or fried chicken.

Please call the Chamber at 264-2360 for more information.

Rhythmania

This is your final opportunity to purchase Tony Osanah's
fabulous CD with music from his marvelous production of "Rhythmania"
here in Pagosa several months ago. Tony and locals, Cary and Wendy
Valentine, arranged and produced an amazingly professional and
energetic performance which was warmly received by this community.
Other locals - Lee Bartley, John Graves and Charles Martinez - were
also a part of this show that made an everlasting impression upon us.
The CDs are available at the Chamber and can be purchased between 8
a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. They won't be here for long, so please act
quickly.

Diplomat luncheon

Many thanks to Lori Madsen at Loredana's for a wonderful job
with the Diplomat Luncheon held last Thursday. Over 50 of us enjoyed
the delicious lunch and the great service provided by Rick and
Amanda. Desserts were especially delicious.

We also want to express our gratitude to all the businesses
that contributed to the Diplomat "goody bags" with their special
gifts. Thanks to Bill and Connie at the Choke Cherry Tree; Bill, Matt
and Stan at the Spring Inn; Sharon at Colby's Cards and Gifts; James
at JJ's Upstream Restaurant; Don and Mary at Old West Press; Jere and
Lois at Village Texaco and Mark and Angie at WolfTracks Bookstore and
Coffee Company.

And, of course, to each and every one of our loyal Diplomats -
thank you, thank you, and thank you.

Membership

Four new members to introduce to you this week and 28 renewals.
How sweet it is.

New member number-one is no stranger to Pagosa folks, and we
are perfectly delighted that he has become a Chamber member. Diamond
Dave Pokorney joins us this week with Diamond Dave's Jewelry and
Pawn, Inc. located at 439 Lewis Street. Dave offers full pawn service
with a retail store front, consignments, jewelry, musical
instruments, electronics, guns, ammunition and tools - basically,
something for just about anyone. If you have questions for Dave, you
can give him a call at 264-9052 or just drop in and have a look-see
at his fascinating inventory.

Our next new members are really existing members who added a
new business to their resumé. Rick and Donna Kiister, who have
owned and operated Impact Printing for quite some time have now,
added Signs with Impact to their business located at 301 North Pagosa
Boulevard, Unit B, 11-12. They pretty much do it all in the signage
milieu to include signs, banners, real estate signs, vinyl window and
door lettering, vehicle lettering, stickers and much, much more.
Please give Rick and Donna a call at 731-3980 to learn more about
their latest addition, Signs with Impact.

Since we're on a roll here with existing members adding new
businesses, Pat and Wendy Horning bring us another business in
addition to Finishing Touches, Surface Seal, 448 Bonanza Avenue.
Surface Seal offers quality concrete, block and foam foundation
sealing as well as asphalt driveway, parking lot and road-penetrating
sealant applications. If you would like to talk to these busy folks
about Surface Seal, just give a call to 731-2834.

We are delighted to welcome Nancy Torrey who brings us Budget
Rent-a-Car located at Stevens Field, 777 County Road 600 (Piedra
Road). I am especially happy to welcome Nancy because I had strongly
encouraged the main office folks in Farmington to join many moons
ago, and Nancy was able to convince them that this was the right
thing to do. It tickled me that the day after she picked up the
membership form, I received a call from out of the area requesting
the name of a rental car agency in Pagosa. Once again, this is a
classic case of your Chamber dollars working for you every day, week
in and week out. Please give Nancy a call at 731-4477 for rental car
information.

This seems an appropriate segue into a little chat about
Associate Membership. I recently had one of our valued long-time
members tell me that she and her husband didn't rejoin this year
because the Associate dues had doubled and they could no longer
afford to join.

Good grief, I'm so glad she mentioned this to me because I can
clear that up very quickly by saying that as long as I have a breath
in me, I won't raise the Associate Membership dues or the non-profit
dues. They have been and will remain $50 and $55 respectively. Also,
a hugely important piece of this is that the couple's price is and
has been $50 - it is not $50 per person. Glad to have that cleared up
once and for all. If you have questions, please give Morna a call at
264-2360. The happy ending that we all love is that our long-time
members have rejoined us, which makes us very, very happy.

IHM fashion show

Tickets are still available at the Chamber for the "Pioneers of
Pagosa" annual Fashion Show sponsored by the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. This event will be held at Parish Hall on Lewis Street Nov. 11,
beginning at noon. Lunch and show are included in the price of $15,
and this event traditionally sells out, so we encourage you to buy
your tickets as soon as possible.

Pagosa Lakes

By Ming Steen

Ski and Sports Swap scheduled Nov.
11

There's snow on the peaks and the forecast for this winter is
better than ever - calling for a normal one. Of course we are wishing
also for normal snowfall. So in anticipation of ample winter
recreation, the fourth annual Ski and Sports Swap will be a good
opportunity to get equipped with affordable gear. The Ski Swap is
sponsored by the San Juan Outdoor Club. This year's swap is on
Saturday, Nov. 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Archuleta County Fair
Building at the fair grounds. The event is "flea market" style and
gear can be sold by renting a booth, or selling it on consignment by
the San Juan Outdoor Club. A few of the businesses that have already
signed up include Juan's Mountain Sports, Pagosa Amateur Hockey Club,
Switchback Mountain Gear and Sideline Sports, Ski and Bow Rack, Let
It Fly and Pagosa Ski Rentals. And from Durango we have Ski Barn,
Performance Sports and Bubba's Boards. More than half of the booths
are already rented out. Rental booths are available to San Juan
Outdoor Club members and non-profit for $20. Businesses pay $25 -
with all rentals paying a flat $5 clean-up deposit which will be
returned to those who help with clean up.

If you have a few items, San Juan Outdoor Club will sell them
for you by consignment for 20% commission. Consignment items will
have to be dropped off the day before the event on Friday, Dec. 10
between 4 and 6:30 p.m. Vendors who have rented booth space can set
up between 4 and 6 p.m. on Friday, 10th or Saturday, 11th at 7:30
a.m. Unsold items not picked up on Saturday, 11th between 1 and 3
p.m. will be donated to the Humane Society Pack Rack Thrift
Store.

San Juan Outdoor Club is incorporated under the laws of
Colorado and the federal government as a 501C non-profit
organization. There are no paid employees and all proceeds after
expenses from the Ski Swap will be used for the club's scholarship
fund, American Cancer Society's Relay For Life, and maintenance of
hiking and biking trails. For more information or to make
reservations, call Robbie Schwartz at 731-9163.

My heartiest congratulations to the boys who have participated
this past summer in a series of challenging (and often gut-wrenching
for the parents) moto-cross races. These races, which our boys have
excelled in, are American Motorcycle Association sanctioned event.
For the 2000 season, Rory Bissell is ranked as the overall champion
in the 125cc beginner division. Teammate Justin Dikes captured the
championship title in the 125cc novice and the open novice divisions.
We are proud of all of you for taking a hobby to a competitive level
that requires training and discipline.

There will be a Whistle Pig costume party and dance tomorrow
night at Pagosa Lakes Clubhouse. This a chance to get dressed up for
Halloween, listen to great music and if you feel so inclined, share
your talent with the crowd. Plan on being at the clubhouse by 6:30
p.m. to sign up for the open mike if you wish to perform. Open mike
starts at 7 p.m. A group of local talent will entertain throughout
the evening. Featured artists include Rio Jazz, David Lee Snyder,
Sharman Christine Alto and her dance troupe. Admission is $5 for
adults in costumes. You pay an extra dollar if you are not in
costume. Children and teens are admitted free.

Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour before you retire
on Saturday night. Go to bed at the same time you always do and get
an extra hour of snooze on Sunday morn.

Lake Pagosa and Lake Forest were stocked last week with 550
pounds each of 14- to 16-inch rainbow trout. Fall fishing has been
excellent this year as water temperatures drop. Fish are feeding
heavily in anticipation of winter. Anglers are having good success on
brown trout as well as rainbows at Hatcher Lake. Lake Pagosa has been
especially hot this past week for rainbows. Permits can be purchased
at the Ralph Eaton Recreation Center if you don't already have
one.

The Southwest Youth Corps has constructed a trail around Vista
Lake and a spur down toward Stevens Draw. The trail is a natural
surface trail and it looks great. Do come out and take a look at it.
There are many varieties of waterfowl on the lake this time of year
and you can't beat the views. The trail begins at the Vista Lake
Picnic Pavilion just off of Port Avenue; parking is available. The
PLPOA will be working on some waterfowl identification and wetland
interpretive signs that should be posted next year. The Vista Lake
Trail is an excellent opportunity for a short, enjoyable loop walk.
The connection to Steven's Draw should be complete by next year.

Senior News

By Janet Copeland

Bake sale a success; potluck dance
Friday

Thanks to the beautiful weather and the many wonderful folks
(including several of the employees of the Senior Center ) who
donated or purchased baked goods at the bake sale on Friday, we had a
very successful sale. A special "thank you" to Ski and Bow Rack
owners for allowing us to set up our table in front of their
business. The proceeds will be used to help defray costs for the
Medical Shuttle, especially for those unable to pay the $40 cost per
trip.

Don't forget the monthly potluck-dance at 5:00 p.m. on Friday,
and the Halloween Costume Contest/Party at the Center on Tuesday.
Both of these events should be lots of fun!

Veterans Service officer, Mike Diver, spoke to our members on
Friday and will continue to be at the Center on the first Friday of
each month to update us on services and benefits available and to
answer questions. Thank you, Mr. Diver.

Payge has been working with Dick Babillis on setting up a
computer class for our members. We will keep you updated on the time
and place. Those interested in taking this class should contact Payge
so she will know how many to prepare for.

We were happy to have Judi Ulatowski and Margie Martinez with
us on Tuesday.

The Senior Citizens board meeting will be on Friday, Nov. 3,
one week later than our regularly scheduled date due to some of the
board members being unavailable for the planned date.

One of our faithful summer members, Eleanor Jones, had surgery;
and Teddy Cope has not been feeling well. Please keep them in your
prayers.

The Area Agency on Aging board election will be held Nov. 15 at
the Senior Center. We hope everyone will vote - these folks do so
much to support our organization.

Cruising with
Cruse

By Katherine Cruse

Tattoos hold an allure all their own

Tattoos are on my mind lately. I want
one, but not permanently.

A friend in Texas had a tattoo on his
upper arm, that he'd gotten as a green and drunken kid, shortly after
he joined the army. A rite of passage. By the time I knew him, he was
30 years older and 80 pounds heavier. The leopard sneaking down his
arm had mutated into a blue-green smear. Not a pretty
picture.

I realize that I'm dating myself. Lots of
young people get tattoos now, including young women. It's not just
for bad girls anymore.

A few years ago there was a tattoo
convention in Nashville, the buckle of the Bible belt. For one exotic
week the downtown streets were filled with strangers, black swirling
designs on their arms, their legs, their faces, and probably on parts
we couldn't see, too. A lot of them also had pierced body parts, and
their faces sparkled and glinted with rings and studs. It was
definitely not your normal Nashville convention crowd.

At about the same time, I ran across a
book detailing the fantastic all-over-the-body tattoos that are done
in Fiji. The text discussed how many months it took to complete these
works of art. I thought they were beautiful, but I don't want that
for myself.

Can't you, I wondered, get something like
a decal, just to have for a few days or weeks, with no permanent
trace? Something that looks like the real thing, without the pain,
the agony, the uncertainty? I mean, once you have a tattoo, don't you
have it for good?

A few weeks ago, at the Four Corners Folk
Festival, a young woman showed me the henna tattoo she'd just gotten.
This is cool. The design is painted on with henna paste, a natural
vegetable dye, and the effect lasts for several weeks.

Great, I thought, that's what I want for
this cruise I'm about to take. Give the old ladies something to
notice. Being a procrastinator, however, I didn't follow up until a
few days before leaving town. Not knowing where to get the henna
thing done, I was going to settle for a painted design from Diane,
who works at Exclusively Elizabeth, but instead I had to stay home
and wait for the tile installer.

My husband Hotshot returned from a trip
just before I left. "What's new?" he asked.

"Well," I said, "I was going to get a
tattoo, but I ran out of time." I did it just right, without pausing
or um-ing. I wish I'd been ready with a camera to catch the reaction.

"You're joking, right?"

Toward the end of the cruise we docked
for the night near Kingston, New York. We were at the foot of a
street where the buildings have been recently rehabbed. In the two
blocks that stretch up the hill from the pier there are restaurants
and upscale gift places. A lot of the storefronts are home to
non-profit organizations too, since that's the way these places work.

Incidentally, there's also a good
maritime museum that recounts the history of Hudson River sailing
ships. I have to say that it greatly exceeded my
expectations.

There was also, in this upscale mix, a
tattoo parlor. After they got off work that night, our ship's
deckhands and stewardesses, all in their 20s, headed for the tattoo
parlor. Later they showed off their tattoos, pulling sleeves up,
socks down, and shirts off for anyone who'd ask.

Mike, a big slightly shy kid, got a star
on the inside of his ankle. Two inches across from tip to tip, filled
in so that it was entirely black. I thought it was a very
conservative tattoo. He said he'd put a lot of thought into it.

Tommy, lean, hard, slightly dangerous
looking, sported a large swirling design on his upper arm, akin to
the Fiji body art. He can have it added to in the future, when he
saves up more of his pay.

"I have one on this arm too," he said,
raising the other sleeve. "And this one. This one's real pretty," he
added, turning around and pulling his T-shirt up to reveal a handsome
lion on a shoulder.

"Did you get a tattoo?" I asked
Woody.

"Naaw," he said. "I used to want one,
when I was younger, but not now." At 28, Woody's one of the older
deck hands.

What about the girls, our stewardesses?
Well, Beth has two, on the tops of her feet. Jackie also has a
couple. And Jennifer the cook has one. So does her boyfriend David,
the ship's first mate. And most of the others have them.

David's is a design that circles his arm
just below the elbow. I didn't get to see any of the others. Most of
them are under clothes. The kids told me that they don't talk about
them in front of Captain Bob, because he doesn't approve.

I asked what these things cost. The star
on Mike's ankle cost $60. Tommy dropped over $200 for his artwork.
David told me later that was a ridiculous amount to pay. If they'd
asked him, he could have showed them a much cheaper place when we got
back to home port in Rhode Island.

Well, now that I'm back in town, I've
been to Durango. I've got my henna kit, with templates and
suggestions for free-form designs. And a book on the art of henna
designs, which I learned are traditional in India and parts of
Africa.

I'm going to experiment with my henna
tattoo before Hotshot gets back from his next trip. Won't he be
surprised?

Library News

By Lenore Bright

Halloween special last activity for
year

Tomorrow is the last day to come see the
creative masks at the library.

If you turned in a mask please come pick
it up, and get your prize at the same time. We are pleased with the
many delightful masks entered in our contest.

Last story time

Our last activity for the year will be
held Oct. 31. It will be a special one for Halloween, so bring your
little goblins down to the library for tricks and treats. All
children, costumed or not, will get something special. Thanks to Mary
and the many people who volunteered time to entertain the children
this past season: Carol Ann White, Barb Elges, Addie Greer, Stephanie
Jones, Laureen Clair, Faith Richardson, Lu Ann Ormonde, Janice
Sandeen, and Wendy from Seeds of Learning. We appreciate their
helping to make the Library a fun experience for the wee
ones.

Sponsor a trotter

There are some young runners who would
like to participate in the upcoming Turkey Trot, but can't afford the
entry fee. The Friends are soliciting sponsors for the $20 entry fee.
Contact Mary at 264-2209 and become a partner in this worthy cause.
Anyone wishing to be sponsored may also call Mary.

Timely information

Amendment 24 is creating great interest
on the subject of growth in our state. Several books on the subject
have been donated to help you understand some of the
impacts.

"The Last Roundup? How Public Policies
Facilitate Rural Sprawl and the Decline of Ranching in Colorado's
Mountain Valleys," is a summary of reports by the American Farmland
Trust. This discusses the intensifying competition for land.
Commercial ranching today competes against "recreational ranching"
and second home development.

"The Impact of Parks and Open Space on
Property Values and the Property Tax Base," by John Crompton. Public
parks and open space often increase the value of private property in
the area, and the concurrent rise in property tax. This report was
funded by the National Recreation Foundation. Terry Hershey, who has
done so much for the conservation movement, donated both of the above
books.

Ann Waterman donated "Planning for
Prosperity." The publication won the American Planning Association
National Award. It is full of practical information for investors who
want to enhance the quality of our community while helping it grow
and develop.

"The Good Neighbor Guidebook for
Colorado" gives necessary information and good advice for living and
enjoying today's Colorado. The preface explains the many ways to be
good land stewards and good neighbors.

Dusty Pierce donated this book and
authored a chapter in it. Dusty explains to newcomers the need to be
informed before you build in rural Colorado. He provides the
practical list of questions and answers concerning all aspects of
building in this unique area. The book covers the basics of Colorado
law and solving problems without litigation. It deals with
conservation easements, water issues, and much, much more. We all
should become familiar with the items covered in this book edited by
Nancy Greif and Erin Johnson.

Friends of the Library

The Friends Board met last week and voted
to encourage everyone to become educated on what will happen if
Amendment 21 passes.

The Sisson Library is funded by property
tax revenues. In Archuleta County, tax on more than 16,947 pieces of
property support library services. Taxes on 14,520 properties are
less than $25 a year and will be dropped from the tax roles. Your
library will have to close without the current tax support approved
in the last general election.

This same situation affects fire
protection, and all other special districts providing services
considered important by most people in the county. The Friends urge
you to become informed on all issues on the ballot this
year.

The Library's Board of Trustees passed a
resolution against Amendment 21. A copy of the resolution is on file
at the library.

Donations

Thanks for financial help in memory of
Ernest Schutz from Lawrence and Emma Shock, Eugene and Jacquelyn
Schick, Terry and Kathleen Carter.

If you use wood to heat your house, you
have the choice of buying it or cutting it. If you cut the wood on
private property, you don't need a permit. But if you cut the wood on
U.S. Forest Service land, then most definitely you need one. This can
be purchased at the Pagosa Ranger District Office located at 180
Pagosa Street, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through
Fridays.

The cost is $10 per cord (two load tags).
One is allowed 10 cords per calendar year total.

A load tag has to be displayed attached
to a load of wood. This cannot be reused.

The penalty for hauling wood without
validated tags is that everything associated with the violation will
be confiscated and and a convicted violator faces up to six months in
jail and a maximum $5,000 fine.

A Firewood Guide with a locator map is
given out with the permit. This is a most informative flyer showing
restricted areas.

The only live tree that can be cut is oak
and these can be cut only if the trunk is less than 6 inches. (A good
rule of thumb for determining this measure is a dollar
bill.)

Some dead trees are officially classified
as wildlife trees, also called "habitat trees," meaning that the
hollowness of the dead tree supports a wide variety of forest life -
like mice, squirrels, small birds, hawks and eagles. These trees -
marked with a blue W or Wildlife Tree sign - are not to be cut. Those
not marked depend on the discretion of the woodcutter. One way is to
look for holes in the trunk or droppings around the trunk.

In cutting trees, take caution; make sure
the tree falls near the road. If it falls across the road, move it to
the side.

Another caution is to carry a shovel and
a fire extinguisher in the truck. And one should check with the
Forest Service for fire restrictions.

The San Juan Public Lands Firewood Guide
is available to the public. The map is particularly
interesting.

Fun on the run

Final words from the mothers of famous
folk (thanks to "GripFast," the Clan Leslie newsletter).

Mona Lisa's mother: "After all that money
your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that's the biggest smile you
can give?"

Columbus' mother; "I don't care what
you've discovered, Christopher. You still could have
written!"

Michelangelo's mother: "Mike can't you
paint on the walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard
it is to to get that stuff off the ceiling?"

Paul Revere's mother: "I don't care where
you think you have to go, young man. Midnight is past your
curfew."

Mary's mother; "I'm not upset that your
lamb followed you to school, Mary, but I would like to know how he
got a better grade than you!"

Arts Line

By Stephanie Jones

Gallery exhibit features Laydon
photos

The current featured artist at the Pagosa
Springs Arts Council Gallery at Town Park is photographer Jeff
Laydon. Jeff is our Arts Council President, and is very active in the
community. His works capture the heart and spirit of the individuals
and landscapes that he photographs.

Jeff will be present at noon Saturday at
the gallery at Town Park to talk about his work. Be sure to stop by
the gallery.

New fall and winter gallery hours are
Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The gallery will be closed
or rented Nov. 2 - 29. Anyone interested in renting the gallery space
during this time please phone 264-5020.

The gallery will re-open Nov. 30 to Dec.
23 with "An Olde Thyme Christmas Shoppe." Any artist or crafter
interested in displaying their work, please call JoAnne at the
gallery 264-5020.

By becoming a member of PSAC you are also
supporting our seven divisions. Individual membership is $20 a year
and family membership is $30 a year. Membership benefits include a
membership gift, special discounts to PSAC sponsored events, a
subscription to Petroglyph, business supporter recognition on KWUF
radio arts show, newspaper and Petroglyph, listing in the Gallery and
Business Guide, link from our web site (pagosaArts.org) to yours, and
special invitations and announcements to art gallery openings. Stop
by the gallery to sign up.

PPKM

If you did not get a chance last weekend
to see PPKM's production of "Good Help is Hard to Murder" at the
Pagosa Lodge mark your calendar for Saturday. A Southern buffet
dinner is served from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. and the play begins at 8.
Advanced tickets can be purchased 48 hours in advance at WolfTracks
Coffee and Bookstore for $24.50. Enjoy a wonderful evening out and
experience Pagosa's talent.

Whistle Pig

Whistle Pig Halloween Dance and Costume
Dance Party is tomorrow at the Vista Community Center. The evening
will begin at 7 p.m. with an open mike hour. From 8 to 9 p.m.
entertainers Danse Orientale, Stephen T. and Creatures of the Night,
Debbee Ramey, and David Snyder and Sharman Alto will perform. At 9
p.m. Rio Jazz, featuring Bob Hemenger, Lee Bartley, John Graves, and
D.C. Duncan will play.

Tickets cost $5 with costume and $6
without costume.

If you are interested in volunteering to
work at the party please call Bill Hudson at 264-2491.

Festival ballet

A division of the Pagosa Springs Art
Council, San Juan Festival Ballet, is currently in rehearsals for
performances of excerpts from the holiday classic "The Nutcracker."
Performances will be Dec. 13, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. at San Juan Dance
Academy, 188 South 8th Street. A special children's performance will
be held Dec. 15 at 10:30 a.m.

If you are interested in volunteering to
help with the production, call Stephanie Jones at
264-5068.

Angel box painters

Angel Box Painters is a division of PSAC
that makes memory boxes for families of deceased children. Please
call Rosie Hatchet at 264-6987 for information about
meetings.

Thank you

Special thanks to the Colorado Children's
Chorale and the Pagosa Springs Junior High School Chorus for a
wonderful performance Oct. 16. Donations received at the concert are
going toward the purchase of Junior high choir stoles. Thanks to the
Chorale organizers and all of the volunteers for making the event
possible: KWUF, Chamber of Commerce, PSHS, PSJHS, Susan Garman, Larry
Dick, Barbie Voorhis and family, Lisa Hartley, Dave Kruger, Jeff
Laydon, JoAnna Haliday, Deborah De Santis, Mary Louise Burke, Phillip
Howard, Emily Crile, Stacey Smith, Cindy Runkle, Adam Garcia, and
Brian Plummer. Thank you to the host families who opened their homes
to the out-of-town guests: the Andersons, Baum/Wellers, Fabers,
Ferris', Forrests, Gills, Goodmans, Harts, Kennedys, Lows, Madores,
Meskers and Zeilers.

The PSAC held it's annual studio tours
Oct. 21. Thank you to all of the participating artists: Ross Barable,
Wayne Justus, Candice Rusnick, Betty Slade, Joe Leal, Kent Gordon,
Bill and Clarissa Hudson, Soledad Estrada-Leo, C.L. Goldrick, Lori
Salisbury, Linda Sapp. Virginia Bartlett, and Roberto and Ana Garcia.
The studio tours created a wonderful opportunity to view the artists
in their environments. Thanks to all of the coordinators and
volunteers for making this event possible.

PSAC would like to express its deepest
gratitude to Susan Garman, Dee McPeak and Charla Ellis for putting
together another wonderful addition of the Petroglyph, PSAC's
quarterly newsletter. A special thank you to Mari and Stu Capling,
and to Sheila and Ron Hunkin for getting it out in the
mail.

Jennifer Galesic, one of our Artsline
Writers, will be taking a break from writing for a few months. Thank
you Jennifer for a year of creative writing and we will look forward
to your return. Last week's Artsline was written by Pamela Bomkamp,
whose name was inadvertently omitted from the byline.

Photo contest

If you haven't already done so, it's time
to start thinking about the annual Photography Contest to be held at
Moonlight Books Feb. 3-24. This year there will be several new
categories to bring the total to 15: Domestic Animals, Autumn Scenic,
People, Up Close, Winter Scenic, General Landscapes,
Patterns/Textures, Sports, Flora, Black and White, Open, Wild Fauna,
Sunrise/Sunset, Special Techniques (color or black and white) and
Partial Toning (computer manipulation, manipulation, double/multiple
exposure, double/multiple negatives, hand painting, collage,
reticulation, sabatier.)

For a complete list of rules, stop by
Moonlight Books or the gallery at Town Park.

Editorials

October 26, 2000

Filling in the ovals

In the past, voters went to the polls on the second Tuesday
after the first

Monday of November. Likewise in the past, in most election
years, the

voters went to the polls to vote on the candidates they
considered to be the most qualified to represent them in positions of
responsibility.

That was the past. The present has produced ballots that are
filled by referendums, amendments, questions and ballot issues that
encompass the proverbial "death and taxes." Candidates' names appear
to be an afterthought on today's state and county ballots.

I plan to vote for Republican Rep. Mark Larson to serve as
state representative for District 59. I plans to vote for Democrat
District Attorney Sara Law to serve as district attorney for the 6th
Judicial District. Both have successful experience in their positions
of responsibility respectively, have served Archuleta County well and
are well-versed on the county.

I plan to vote against Amendment 21. Its escalating refund rate
of $25 on property taxes would seriously harm the effectiveness of
special districts such as the Aspen Springs Metropolitan District,
Pagosa Fire Protection District, Upper San Juan Library District,
Upper San Juan Hospital District, and Pagosa Area and Water and
Sanitation District. I cannot classify the unsalaried elected
directors of these local districts as being wasteful bureaucrats.

I plan to vote for Amendment 22. Background checks and record
keeping are not an undue burden on legitimate firearms dealers or
prospective purchasers. It will not prevent a law-abiding citizen
from owning a firearm. By deterring a non-law-abiding citizen from
owning a firearm, it could save a life.

I plan to vote for Amendment 23 because current state statutes
on funding public schools and on tax limitations shortchange School
District 50 Joint and thereby create a need for an equitable source
of additional funding.

I plan to vote against Amendment 24 in hopes that the recently
proposed Archuleta County Community Plan will provide a
locally-specific effective vehicle for managing growth in our
county.

I plan to vote for Amendment 25 because it will not deny a
woman her statutory right to chose to have an abortion. Giving
concentrated consideration to accurate, specific information might
not prevent an abortion. However, there is a chance it could and
thereby save a life.

I plan to vote for Referendum A because it offers relief in the
form of a "homestead exemption" on property taxes for persons who are
65 or older and who have owned and lived in their place of residence
for the past 10 years or more. It will require the state legislature
to compensate local taxing entities for the net amount they might
lose because of the exemption.

I plan to vote against Referendum E because it would be
detrimental to Colorado citizens who are addicted gamblers.

I plan to vote for Ballot Issue 1A because imposing a 4 percent
use tax on construction and building materials purchased outside the
county for construction projects that are built inside the county
would help pay the cost of the added demands that the occupants or
users of these structures incur on the services of the town and
county. Increased costs have yet to slow increased construction or
the sale of houses within the county or town.

I plan to vote on Questions 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and 1G because
the voters of Archuleta County have proved themselves capable of
voting ineffective elected officials out of office whenever such
officials fail to represent the county or a district as a whole.

Being an owner of property within the town, I plan to vote yes
on Question 2A so that the town can organize a Pagosa Springs
Sanitation General Improvement District. I plan to vote yes for Issue
2B so that the district can impose a mill levy of .5 mills in order
to up to $11,500 in order to operate and maintain the district's
services and facilities.

As for the candidates for county commissioner on this year's
ballot, I am still debating whose names I will write in. Earlier this
month a disgruntled letter writer stated: "Apparently the good old
boys still control the politics in Pagosa Springs." In my mind, I
disagreed with him on the matter he cited. At the same time, I
realized that his contention about the good old boys could indeed
become the case in three months.

David C. Mitchell

Dear Folks

By David C. Mitchell

Running in different
directions

Dear Folks,

I'm looking forward to the weekend.

For the third year in a row, I'll be traveling to Denver to
cover the Colorado Class 1A-3A Championship Cross Country meet in
Denver. Thanks to the season-long efforts of Patrick Riley, Todd
Mees, Travis Laverty, Trevor Peterson, Ryan Beavers and Nick Hall the
Pirates will be running over hill and dale and along the dusty trails
on the campus of Kent Denver High School.

Lady Pirates Amber Mesker and Aubrey Volger will represent
Pagosa Springs high School as individual qualifiers.

Depending on the start time and location of the Pirates'
match-up in the state soccer play-offs, I'll probably pull double
duty and watch seniors Daniel Crenshaw and Mike Pierce and their
teammates give their best at advancing into the state quarter final
round.

It's fitting the cross country and soccer playoffs would be
happening on the same weekend.

I'm much more familiar with cross country than I am with
soccer. But the more I watch soccer, the more I realize that cross
country is the same as playing soccer, only without a ball or a
goal.

In cross country, regardless of weather conditions, the
competitors run a prescribed distance while racing against the
clock.

In soccer, regardless of weather conditions, the competitors
run back and forth within the confines of field of differing
dimensions while chasing a ball and either trying to avoid or to
knock down the opposing competitors. From time to time an attempt is
made to cause a ball to land inside a defended goal.

Oxygen deprivation and physical discomfort are paramount in
both sports.

Whereas strength, stamina and self denial play major roles in
both sports, it also helps to be slightly nuts.

This weekend also offers another of my favorite events - the
conclusion of daylight saving time for a season. Being able to fall
back in bed knowing that you can awake an hour late the next morning
- yet on time - is an undeserved award.

The trip to Denver means I'll miss Wolf Creek Ski Area's
opening Saturday. But it's comforting to think that Pagosa will be
able to enjoy a genuine ski season this winter.

During the past few weeks, I've heard a lot of folks comment,
"I hope we have an old-fashioned winter this year."

To most of us old fashioned is a nebulous term. It's defined in
the limited context of or personal experiences.

For some reason you never hear anyone say, "I wish we could
have an old-fashioned Halloween this year."

Who in their right mind would again want to spend the night
running down the street ringing doorbells and soaping automobile
windows? Or throwing rocks at the street light down on the corner. Or
leaving a sack of fresh garbage atop a neighbor's screen door so it
would fall at his feet when he opened the screen in order to remove a
toothpick that had been lodged in the door bell. Or other equally
inane acts of a misspent childhood.

At times, when I slip into my right mind, I find myself wishing
for the return of old-fashioned Halloweens. However, old-fashioned
Halloweens are condemned to being nothing but memories.

Those Halloweens offered treats of homemade cookies and fresh
unwrapped candies, or apples or oranges. These prizes were
uncautiously eaten before we ever reached home.

With an old-fashioned Halloween there was no threat that our
prized treats contained pins, needles, powdered glass or broken razor
blades. There was no fear of being invited inside a stranger's home
or confronting a stranger on a dark sidewalk.

I'm thankful my grandchildren have much of what today has to
offer, but I truly wish they could experience an old-fashioned
Halloween.

Know you are loved and please keep us in your prayers.

David

25 years ago

Enrollment up in local schools

Taken from SUN files

of Oct. 30, 1975

Enrollment in the schools of District 50 Jt. now stands at a
record level and reflects a 10 percent gain over last year. Friday of
last week the total enrollment in the three schools stood at 828
students. This represents a gain of 74 students since last May.
Enrollment at the elementary school stands at 373, the mid-school at
226 and 229 at the high school.

The annual Halloween Carnival will be held in the Pagosa
Springs High School gym this Friday evening. The event is sponsored
by the student council of the high school and community participation
is welcome. Most of the attractions are for young people but there
will be games for adults, too.

Snow season appears to be started on Wolf Creek Pass. The
snowfall isn't heavy but, it has been recorded four different days.
Total fall to date this season is 14.5 inches.

A Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce ski swap is scheduled for
Nov. 8 at the Catholic Parish Hall. The event is the first of its
kind to be held here. The ski swap will give local residents an
opportunity to offer for sale any of the used ski equipment they have
out- grown or no longer use.

Legacies

By Shari Pierce

More interesting bits of Pagosa
history

Last week I referred to a story of Pagosa Springs history that
was written by Bonnie Kern Stafford in the late 1960s. In the story
she mentioned many of the pioneers of the county that she had known.
I'd like to share more of her memories of early Archuleta County
faces and places. How very fortunate we are that she took the time to
write down these interesting bits of history.

"People started moving in and the town on the east and north
side of the river grew a good deal. The Hatchers, father, mother, and
several sons moved in. The oldest son had a ranch north of town and
lived there for years. Others also moved in.

"I should have mentioned the Goodmans if I haven't.

"A man named Thomson had a store in Chama, N.M., and he started
a branch in Pagosa. Leo Hersch, who came from Santa Fe, N.M., was the
first that I remember. He was there in 1890 and 1891. I do not
remember the exact date that he came, or when he left but think that
he was there in 1892.

"Leo went back to Santa Fe. I don't know if he ever married or
if the Hersches bought the store at that time.

"David was the next one that I remember. Jim Hatcher married
Hattie Hersch, and Elmer, the youngest, married Edna Holt. I went to
school with Jim Hatcher one term.

"In the early days and on the courthouse side of the town,
editors came in and started papers, but never seemed to make a go of
it.

"I have recollections of one who later on started to publish a
paper. Think it was in a large building near where the library now
(1969) is, and later on D.L. Egger and family came and took over. You
have had a paper in Pagosa ever since that time.

"Believe the Eggers had two children when they came. That must
have been about 1890. After D.L. Egger died Mrs. Egger and family
went to California and lived near Los Angeles for years.

"My mother was appointed postmistress about 1889, and I do not
remember who held the job before her, but someone on the west side of
the river had a post office. It was one of the Opdyke houses near the
hill. They were building a house which is still standing on one of
Grandma Cade's lots. It was meant for an office and a home so it
faced right on the sidewalk. It was a two story house.

"I must mention about the foundation. Everyone always had so
much trouble with skunks and more so on that side of the river near
the hill. The place where the foundation was laid was filled with tin
cans, broken bottles, etc. so that the skunks could not dig under to
make a home. The logs were then put on the foundation."

Features

October 26, 2000

Food for
Thought

By Karl Isberg

Road trip notebook reveals
stress

10/16

I was here.

I was gone.

I am back.

During the last 72 hours, I drove 2000
miles.

I am less than fresh. My nerves are shot,
but I have to write this column. I have a deadline to meet tomorrow
morning.

I left Pagosa at 6 a.m. last Friday,
driving a Chevy pickup, pulling a rental trailer. My destination:
California. Los Angeles, California. Culver City, to be precise. The
heights.

The trip turned into a test - one I
flunked and hopefully the last test I will take: a Vergilian journey,
fraught with dead ends and traps, flecked with glimmering bits and
pieces of incomplete information, flush with unripe perceptual fruit
plucked from tangled and thorny vines.

In a nutshell, I can't make sense of the
experience.

I take a notebook with me wherever I go.
When I have an opportunity, (on straight sections of road, at
stoplights) I jot down thoughts, observations, sensations that I hope
capture the essence of my experience. Here are the hastily scribbled
notes from my LA trip. Put the notes together in whatever way you
please. Make a story out of the notes; reconstruct the journey. Use
your imaginations.

Please, help me.

I am so tired.

1. Though it is printed clearly in big,
black block letters on the bumper of my rental trailer - "MAXIMUM
SPEED 45 MPH" - I find I can pull this baby at 80 mph without the
wheels separating from the undercarriage sending the whole kit and
kaboodle skidding down the asphalt, a tangled, spark-festooned ball
of useless aluminum. This is testimony to the superiority of American
engineering, isn't it? We make the best U-Haul trailers in the
universe, don't we? We should be proud: we can put a man on the moon;
we can make a small trailer that will travel 80 mph. Who else can
make this claim?

I love America.

2. If you must make an 18-hour drive
without a rest, take a companion. In this case, I take Kathy.

Initially, I intend to hit the first
truck stop I see and procure some "eye-openers" from one of the noble
truckers who regularly travel our tip-top system of superhighways.
These guys and gals know their business!

I realize this move will precipitate a
heart attack by the time I reach Barstow, but I have a plan. A
skillful application of the crash cart paddles by the Barstow
emergency room staff will summon me from death's door long enough to
have me airlifted to the UCLA med center where I will be put in the
ICU. I'll need someone to drive the truck and trailer from Barstow to
LA. This will be Kathy. Once Kathy arrives at LA, I will be able to
conduct my business hampered only by a portable IV and oxygen
unit.

Of course, once I explain my plan to my
wife, there is no stop made at the truck stop. In the place of my
plan is a second option: 18 hours of nearly unendurable
pain.

3. Have you ever smelled the cab of a
Chevy pickup after two people have been in it for 18 consecutive
hours? You could have fifty of those goofy tree-shaped air fresheners
hanging in this truck and they wouldn't put a dent in the
stench.

4. Kathy swears I hit a beaver as we
speed past Kingman. She is beside herself with grief.

5. People waste a lot of money on illegal
substances designed to alter consciousness.

Who needs drugs or alcohol? After twelve
straight hours at the wheel, you enter an altered state, the equal of
any high-grade pharmaceutical experience.

This moment occurs for me as I steer the
trusty Chevy across the desolate plain between Needles and Dagget.
The U-Haul is bouncing wildly behind the truck and I have 103.5
blaring on the radio. I am singing along with Frankie Valli and the
Four Seasons: "Big Girls Don't Cry." Frankie's tortured falsetto
rockets around the cab of the truck. My ears hurt, my head hurts, my
teeth hurt, my vision is blurred. It reminds me of the time I tried
to squat a weight ten times my age: it was two days before my eyes
would focus simultaneously.

My consciousness began to waver at Tuba
City.

By the time I hit Andy Devine Drive in
Kingman, Arizona, I was suffering a major blood sugar
crisis.

Things vector together and I experience
an epiphany 40 miles south of Daggett. In an instant, I fully
understand Planck's Constant, cold-fusion is a reality, what was once
Heideggerian babble rings clear for me, and I know for certain which
team will win the 2001 Super Bowl and by how many points.

I am 39 miles south of Daggett when I
forget everything I know.

6. I stand amidst a crew of cretins
beneath a bank of ratty TVs at a Petro station 50 miles from the
California border. We watch a high-speed chase on I-5 in LA. An
inner-city pinhead wearing baggy pants and a camo T-shirt has stolen
a Burbank Parks Department truck and is driving up and down the 5, a
convoy of black and whites trailing his smoking vehicle. Several of
the truckers break ranks and hustle out to their rigs. Though they
are a good four hours from LA, a fistful of "eyeopeners" convinces
the road warriors they can get to LA before the chase ends to form an
impenetrable rolling blockade on the freeway, doing their small part
to aid law enforcement.

I love America.

7. Kathy tries to kill us, driving at 85
mph, compulsively gulping bottled water as she admires the "gorgeous
desert colors." It is 9 p.m. and so dark you can't see the side of
the road.

We pass Shinarump Drive just outside
Needles. I pause. I ponder. Upon my return home I intend to petition
our county commissioners, seeking equally amusing anatomical names
for every road built in our county. The names should be displayed on
new, red signs.

8. We are cruising west on I-10,
listening to a Jack in the Box commercial, in Farsi. The commercial
is followed by some of the darned best Qawwali singing I've ever
heard. The tabla is a greatly underappreciated instrument. I resolve
to become a tabla master as soon as it is convenient to do
so.

9. Through the haze in a desert valley,
structures look like debris deposited at random by a mighty wind.

10. What time is it? Where am
I?

11. If you could choose, who would you
most like to be at this moment?

I want to be Gary Coleman.

12. As I hasten down the west side of the
Cajon divide, there is an unending string of lights stretching back
to the horizon on the opposite side of the roadway. It is the LA
crowd heading for Vegas. I realize there are more people driving cars
in a one-mile stretch of highway than live in all of Archuleta
County. I also realize one out of ten of those motorists will soon
move to Archuleta County and begin to demand speed control on the
street in front of his house. Soon, he will take a seat on a property
owners association board of directors.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are
still on the radio. "Dawn, go away I'm no good for you. . ." The song
relays an indisputable fact: rich girls should avoid poor guys.
Especially Italian guys. If I learned anything at prep school, it was
this.

13. LA is the center of a universe
inhabited by people who mistake the base rumblings of their own
consciousness for the presence of a mighty spiritual being. There are
more undereducated "thinkers" in LA than anywhere else on the planet,
though Pagosa Springs is vying for the per capita title. Preschool
solipsism is becoming the favorite mode of thought in Western
civilization: "Because I perceive it, it is real; because I
understand it, it is true."

14. By all means have breakfast at
Coco's, on Sepulveda in Culver City. Ask to be seated in Steve's
section. Steve says things like "Howdy-Doody, I'm your server,
Stevie," "oopsy daisy," and "alrighty ditey," and he calls decaf
"unleaded." Steve is somewhat obsessive, but no one lines up the
labels on the condiments like Steve!

Do not look at Steve's hands.

15. My contact person in Los Angeles is
Karen. She wears a tin foil shirt, mylar pants and lime-green boots.
There are orange sparkles all over her face, and a diamond stud in
her hose. I make a mental note not to stand next to Karen during an
electrical storm.

After a night's rest, I am back on the
road, spit out of LA like a bad sunflower seed, speeding east, going
uphill.

16. If you stop at Denny's in Kingman,
Arizona, and they tell you the corned beef hash "Slammer" is on
special, please realize. . . it is special! Truly special. Do not,
under any circumstances, eat the corned beef hash Slammer.

If you ignore this warning and eat the
corned beef hash Slammer, there is a rest stop with toilet facilities
located 60 miles east on I-40.

I use a case of monumental gastric
distress as an excuse to stop at Laughlin, Nevada, for the night. I
promise Kathy I will not gamble.

17. I am the youngest person in Laughlin.
I walk through the casino at the Ramada Express and I am overwhelmed
by the sight of legions of old guys with pants pulled up to their
clavicles and gals with blue hair dressed in sweatsuits, toting fanny
packs bulging with quarters.

All these people smoke cigarettes. How
did they live so long?

They mill around the entrance to the
"Theater of Heroes." The show is "On the Wings of Eagles," a
15-minute quick-cut display of war footage featuring planes of all
nations disintegrating under a hail of America gunfire.

Mickey Rooney is in the main showroom,
providing avid but hearing-impaired listeners with an ad-libbed
monologue brimming with whatever he can still remember about his
millennium in show business.

There is a slot machine called Triple
Threat Wild Cherry II. It calls me to it; I can't resist. It hurts
me.

What Kathy does not know will not hurt
her.

18. As we drive past Devil Dog road west
of Flagstaff, Kathy and I simultaneously realize microwaves, in all
forms, are Satan's handiwork.

19. How do you remove a massive amount of
dried yogurt from a two year-old girl's chin? Do you take the kid to
a car wash? I see no harm in power washing my granddaughter
Ipana.

20. What are those lights in the
sky?

21. Eighty-five miles per hour, east of
Kayenta, surging across the final gap to home and suddenly there is a
figure ahead, someone walking along the opposite shoulder of the
highway. It is a young Navajo. He wears a hooded Megadeath
sweatshirt. His expression is impassive. He is 50 miles from nowhere.
Where is he going? Where has he been?

22. Frankie Valli and the four Seasons
are still on the radio. "Sherry Baby."

23. Aside from a sumptuous repast at
Coco's on Sepulveda in LA, I ate little of interest in a city chock
full of great restaurants. My daughter Ivy and I ditched Kathy, older
daughter Aurora and Ipana with glittery Karen and sped to the Kabob
King, just off Jefferson, north of Slausen.

We shared a gyro - decent, but average -
and a plate of hummus, (the boys at the King spell it Hommus). This
version had a bit more tahini than I like, but they plopped a couple
slices of tomato and some thin sliced red onion in it and topped the
goo with a drizzle of good olive oil and a some sprigs of
mint.

I'd love to make gyros, but for the life
of me I can't figure how they get a cow and a lamb to mate. I imagine
you have to live in Arkansas to understand this type of
husbandry.

24. When I get home, I'll whip up some
hummus. It's simple and makes a whopping good appetizer.

25. If I get home.

26. I'll plop two cans of drained chick
peas and four or five cloves of minced garlic into a processor. I'll
pulse the mass until it has a grainy texture, then I'll put the stuff
in a bowl

To the processed chickpeas, I'll add
three or four tablespoons of tahini - pureed, roasted sesame seed
that gives a nice, nutty flavor to hummus (and a variety of Middle
Eastern sauces as well). I'll also add a quarter cup of high-grade
olive oil and the juice of two lemons along with salt and
fresh-ground black pepper. I'll mix well, taste, and adjust by adding
any or all of my ingredients until I have the flavor and texture I
desire.

I like to slice some tomatoes, some red
onion and some cucumber for use as a garnish.

I serve the dip at room temperature with
the garnish and wedges of warm pita bread.

When I get home, I'll slap together the
hummus, pop in my CD of "Rapture" by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the
essential genius of Qawwali, and practice my tabla while I try to
remember the score of that upcoming Super Bowl.

It'll be good to be back, at 7,000-plus
feet, in good old Pagosa, at my house on Buffabutt Circle.

Pacing
Pagosa

By Richard Walter

Memories of snake dances and
bonfires

Another homecoming has gone into the
books for Pagosa Springs High School.

Before its passing, the annual
celebration gave many old timers like myself a chance to reflect on
their most remembered homecoming event.

Then, as now, there was no Homecoming
Parade. There was a Homecoming Dance. In fact there were
two.

The traditional theme-decorated gymnasium
hosted the romantic students, usually the night of the
game.

The downtown businesses braced themselves
for the other.

The snake dance became as traditional for
Pagosa Springs High School in the 1950s as the formal
dance.

At about 7 p.m. on the night before the
homecoming game, the entire student body congregated on the school
grounds on Pagosa Street. When the signal was given, the group melded
into one long, twisting, Pirates support chanting chain of
humanity.

The sole purpose was to make sure
everyone in town was aware of homecoming and that each knew the
student body was fully involved. Downtown we went, winding into,
through and finally out of every business that was open and many
stayed open just for that event.

One of the favorite spots was the Liberty
Theater which normally started features at 7 p.m. but delayed the
flicks on snake dance night so their patrons would not be
disturbed.

Each business in the block got a visit
and then the dancers would go down into Town Park for a pep rally.
During my sophomore year, and it is the only time I can remember this
happening, there was a huge bonfire signaling how the Pirates would
roast their foe in the big game.

Of course, Pagosa Springs High School did
not start playing football until 1948, first with the 6-man variety
the only game in town the first two years, so traditions were easy to
establish and just as easy to change.

Game locations changed, too. We first
played on what is now the soccer-junior high practice field in Town
Park, a layout which was barely large enough to hold a 100-yard
football field. Game days found the area along U.S. 160 lined with
vehicles by 10 a.m. as families sought early viewing space which was
not available in the park area. There was no spectator seating so
viewing position was a prime desire.

And then came the big move, the one no
one involved in playing the game could understand.

Pagosa High football games were switched
to the Archuleta County Fairgrounds. The beneficiaries were the fans
who finally had a place to sit and part of it was even covered. The
parking lot, however, could become a quagmire after even the
slightest precipitation.

My mother, who loved basketball and
endured baseball, went to only one football game during my high
school career.

There had been a rodeo on the grounds two
days earlier and about six inches of snow fell on the day before the
big game against Bayfield. Game Day came with a bright sun
shining.

Picture it yourself. Rodeo grounds, rodeo
animal droppings, melting snow and, you probably have guessed it,
sticky, smelling mud. Game score: 0-0. Players had to get into
showers with uniforms on in order to find the buckles and ties to
remove them.

Mother said she'd never go to another
game because she couldn't tell one player from the other after the
first two minutes, and could not understand why anyone would
willingly participate in a mud bowl contest.

To top it all off, the neighbor who
brought her to the game got stuck in the parking lot afterward. And
no one seemed to notice. Finally, a man with a big-wheeled truck saw
their plight and towed them out to the highway.

Football was no longer a viable
experience for either of them.

What we players wouldn't have given for a
facility like Golden Peaks Stadium (even before the lights). Actual
grass playing surface would have seemed like manna from heaven in
those final two years at PSHS.

Moving the high school away from downtown
and making it a closed campus has obviously relieved some of the
congestion in the business district, but I wonder if it hasn't also
removed some of the ardent merchant support we had a half century
ago.

The snake dance was an event everyone
looked forward to. Windows were painted with homecoming slogans, all
backing the hometown Pirates. Neither is a part of homecoming any
more.

And, come game time on Saturday
afternoon, you didn't go downtown for anything. Wouldn't have done
any good. Most of the stores closed half an hour before kickoff and
stayed closed until half an hour after the game.

That way, all the employees could go to
watch their athletes perform.

Maybe I'm just aging and remembering my
version of the "good old days." Hopefully, what the students
experienced this year with a full week of homecoming activities, are
memories they will someday look back on as their very own version of
those "good old days."

Who. . . Where. . .
When?

By John Motter

Know anything about our Civil
War veterans?

Today's Who?Where? When? differs from the
past. We know the names of those featured in today's oldtimer
photograph. We'd just like to know more about them.

Many early Pagosa Country settlers were
veterans of the Civil War and proud of it. A few had fought for the
Confederacy, but most had worn the Northern blue.

One of the more notable boys in gray was
Ethereal Thomas, or E.T., Walker, a man who never seemed to duck
controversy. Walker is not shown in the accompanying photograph of
the members of Gen. Ed Hatch Post 104, an organization of local Civil
War veterans. Gen. Hatch was a Civil War officer for the North and
prominent leader in the settlement of the West.

All of the men in this photograph are
early Pagosa Country settlers, and some were pioneers (before 1885).
We don't know when the photograph was taken, but suspect it was near
the turn of the century, 1900, because that is when we had a
permanent photographic studio in Pagosa Springs. That is also the
time when some of the names begin showing up in local newspapers or
on entries at the county clerk's office. The location appears to be
Otis Park, also known simply as Town Park.

We know nothing about some of these men.
We invite readers who do know something, especially where their
families are today, to contact us here at The SUN. Any information
will be much appreciated.

The men about whom we know nothing are
Cotton, Wingate, Weber, McMullen, and Bates. We know little about
Abner Thompson, Elliott Halstead, and Henry Fowler. We know quite a
lot about the others, but would like to know more.